God’s communal nature as Father, Son and Spirit are our primary model for what it means to be God’s community. God’s plan in history is for the Father to have a family, a people representing Him, being his image on the earth. God’s ‘movement’ in the Son was an unconditional act of love towards people making it possible for them to share in the life and mission of God. God’s love reaches out to the entire world without concern for race, class, gender or background.

The Father’s family is open to all, the invitations are out, the Son has made it possible, the Spirit makes it happen, drawing people in to share in the community that is God. As God’s community we are centred around Him. Just as we share in His life, so also we share in His mission through the empowering Holy Spirit. As we reach in love, unconditionally and non-preferentially and include others into our community, in invitation and openness, they experience the life of God.

Belong-Believe-Behave

Jesus was “accused” of being a friend of sinners. He treated people radically accepting them, loving them and spending time with them on the basis of his love not on the basis of their conforming to a behaviour pattern, as was more common in 1st Century Judaism. Jesus acceptance of them was the basis of their journey to understanding who he was and then learning the way of life that he was calling them into. This sense of belonging is expressed in serving people, loving people, protecting people from others judgments and prejudices, acting for justice etc. In general acting in “Remarkable and Unexpected” ways!