Peace Tree UMC
  • Home
  • About
    • Staff >
      • Jobs
    • Mission >
      • BRO
      • SIS
      • UMW
    • Vision
    • Values
    • House Groups
  • Sundays
    • Plan Your Visit
  • Connect
    • Calendar
    • News
  • Media
    • Online Worship
    • Devotionals
    • Social Media
  • Give
  • Blog

Peace Tree
Our Journey

Following Christ + Making Disciples + Forming Community

Building a Community

3/29/2019

Comments

 
Picture
Photo by Frank Mckenna on Unsplash
In January, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel and visit the holy sites on a Christian pilgrimage. On the first day of our trip, we visited Cana of Galilee, the site of Jesus’ first miracle in which he turned water into wine for a wedding celebration at the behest of his mother.

While we were in the basement of a church built over the spot where this miracle took place, I noticed a minister performing a ceremony for several couples who had come to Cana of Galilee to renew their wedding vows. What better place to renew your vows than the wedding site where Jesus performed his first miracle!

In that moment, I was reminded of a lesson we receive from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. Whether a couple is renewing their marriage vows, or an engaged couple is standing at the altar reciting wedding vows for the very first time, we all need to remember that marriage involves three important individuals: you, your spouse, and God.


Ecclesiastes talks about the value of a friend. Chapter 4, verse 9 reads, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil” (NRSV). This same sentiment can be heard in the words of Lyn Collins’ 1972 funk hit “Think (About It):” “It takes two to make a thing go right. It takes two to make it out of sight!”

The Scripture goes on to say that friends help each other up, keep each other warm, and watch each other’s backs in a fight. Then verse 12 ends with the words, “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Up to this point, we’ve only read about two friends. So, why does a THREEfold cord suddenly appear? This is where God is reminding us that His presence is a necessary part of any relationship, including the marriage relationship.

As we consider God’s presence in the midst of our relationships, we must first acknowledge that we are made in God’s image. We see this in Genesis 1:27 where it says, “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (NRSV).

Those who practice the Christian faith believe in the Triune God. In the midst of the Trinity’s mystery exists a community: God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just like our Creator, we are meant for community, and at the center of our community is God. It is God who blesses and sustains our communities. In our hearts, we know there is no life apart from the Divine Presence. Jesus demonstrates this with his own life by surrounding himself with friends and family as he begins his three year ministry in Israel.

He healed individuals, families, and entire groups of people. Before He was arrested and ultimately sentenced to death on a cross, He taught his disciples a new commandment: “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34).

When a couple marries, they start a new family. If they decide to have children or to adopt, then their community grows larger. God desires to live at the center of this community, to bless these relationships, to serve as a necessary strand in the threefold cord.

Whether you’re planning a wedding and preparing for a lifelong marriage this year, or you’re celebrating another anniversary with your spouse, I encourage you to always put God first.

​Abide in God and remember that you are made in God’s image. God the Father exists as community, so be mindful of the community surrounding you and your significant other. God the Son cared deeply about relationships, so remember to invest time and energy into the relationship and friendship you share with your spouse. God the Holy Spirit holds everything together, strengthening your marriage so that it will not be broken. Love each other the way Christ loves you.

Treat your spouse the way Christ would treat them. And together, ask yourselves how the two of you may make a difference in your world, in your community. 
God is part of yours and your spouse’s threefold cord, ready to bless you both as you tie the knot. Thanks be to God!

+Peace and Love from Pastor Kris

(This article originally appeared in the March/April 2019 edition of Tour Collierville Magazine)
Comments

    Peace Tree

    Follow the journey of a new church as we answer the call to reach people in Collierville, Memphis, and the Mid-South.

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    December 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Alzheimer's
    Baptism
    Bible
    Building
    Children
    Church
    Collierville
    Community
    Compassion
    Core Values
    Crucifixion
    Disaster Response
    Disciples
    Division
    Faith
    Family
    Germantown
    Good Friday
    Gospel
    Grace
    Guatemala
    Health
    Holy Week
    Hospitality
    House Groups
    Justice
    Lent
    LGBTQ
    Love
    Marriage
    Memphis
    Mission
    Movies
    Murfreesboro
    Parables
    Pastor
    Peace
    Prayer
    Pre Launch
    Presence
    Reflection
    Salvation
    Schools
    Service
    Students
    Suffering
    Summer
    The Call
    Tragedy
    TV
    United States
    Unity
    Vision
    Worship

    RSS Feed

Small Group Gatherings
​Sun | Young Parents Fellowship
Sun | Music Fellowship
Sun | ZUMBA with Kris
Mon | Open Play Pickleball
Mon | United Women in Faith

Mon | Mellow Mushroom G'town
Tue | United Women in Faith
Tue | Leadership Meeting
Tue | Book Club
​Wed | Open Play Pickleball
Fri | Family Fun Night
Large Group Celebrations
Sundays at 10:00 AM
(doors open at 9:30 AM)

Peace Tree at Shelby Drive
​9315 E Shelby Dr
Collierville, TN 38017

Office Hours
Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Get In Touch
Call | 901.286.5532
Email | peacetreeumc@gmail.com
Prayer Requests | E-News
Mailing Address
Peace Tree UMC
9315 E Shelby Dr
​Collierville, TN 38017

Copyright © 2021 | All Rights Reserved | 9315 E Shelby Dr, Collierville, TN
About | House Groups | Sundays | Connect | Media | Give | Blog
  • Home
  • About
    • Staff >
      • Jobs
    • Mission >
      • BRO
      • SIS
      • UMW
    • Vision
    • Values
    • House Groups
  • Sundays
    • Plan Your Visit
  • Connect
    • Calendar
    • News
  • Media
    • Online Worship
    • Devotionals
    • Social Media
  • Give
  • Blog