Welcome

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.
Romans 16:1-2
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Welcome!
Those outside of the church wrestle against each other and jockey for the top spot. We are even tempted to do so to the world and to our neighbors in Christ. Paul would have you upside down and standing on your nose. The world will know we are Christians by our love for one another. There is something wholesome and spectacular that has happened to you in your Baptism. Christ has made you his own and has grafted you into the family of all believers. You are knit into a spiritual blanket or built into a spiritual house, one brick next to another. These neighbors and fellow believers are your brothers and sisters. They are your family...all bought by the blood of Jesus on his cross. Without his cross, we wouldn't care. With his cross, we are a people who know how to love. We would not and could not love, if Christ hadn't first loved us. What does love look like? It is Christ dying for the people he loves. He loves you.