A man had a dream one night that he had died. In his dream he found himself in a large room. The room had a very large banquet table filled with different kinds of food. There were people seated around the table but they were seated five feet away from the table. In his dream, the people were very hungry and wanted to eat but were unable to get out of their chairs. To make matters worse their arms were not long enough to be able to reach out and obtain the food.

As the man looked more closely, he saw a very large spoon that was five feet long that the people were fighting over for possession. In his dream, he watched with amazement how one person used the spoon to dish up some food and then carefully turned the spoon around toward his mouth with all the food falling off the spoon and onto the floor. Then another person grabbed the spoon but was unable to feed himself because of the length of the spoon.

Then the man turned to his guide and said: "What sort of place is this? What a nightmare to have food and not be able to eat it!" The guide replied, "This is hell. But this is not your place. Come with me." The guide took him to another room that was also filled with a large banquet table and delicious food. In this room, there was also a large spoon with a handle that was five feet long. However, in this room no one was fighting. Instead, one person would take the spoon and use it to feed another. Each in turn would use the spoon to return the favor. The guide turned to the man and said, "This is heaven."

That sounds like a pretty fair definition of heaven to me: a place where harmony reigns, where there is an abundance of all that we need, and where people feed each other. Sound right to you? Of course, to suit my tastes, it would also help if heaven had baroque music concerts every day, and a room with a giant wide-screen TV, revealing a college football season that never ends! But that's just me. You can come up with your own wish list.

Kidding aside, it seems to me that if heaven reflects the Kingdom of God as Jesus taught it to us, then cooperation, love for one another, and a spirit of generosity and selflessness will surely be the order of the day. That's the kind of kingdom God invites us to share (emphasis on the word share). Generosity, selflessness, cooperation - those are all words that require a community. We can't do this Christian thing alone, and thankfully God doesn't ask that of us. When God calls us, he calls us into a family, into the company of the redeemed and forgiven saints of God! There are no "Lone" Christians. When you begin following Jesus, you don't just get a new relationship with God. You get the family he calls his people, warts and all! Sorry if you were just looking for peace and quiet, but here's the truth: you can't be a Christian in isolation. It just doesn't work that way. We worship together, we pray together, and we share the work of God together. Paul uses the analogy of the human body to describe the relationship of Christians to one another. The hand needs the foot, which needs the ear, which needs the mouth, etc., etc. You get the point. None of those organs can function the way God intended them to function, unless they remain related to the larger body.

Or picture a fire in a fireplace, snapping and crackling away, warding off the chill of a cold winter's night. Suddenly a hot, glowing ember tumbles out of the fire with a pop, landing in a far corner of the fireplace, away from the center of the burning logs. What happens to the isolated ember after a few minutes? That's right, it begins to die out. Soon it is cold and dead. Now think of yourself as that ember. A vibrant church community is like that fireplace. We need one another to keep the fire burning. Isolated and left to ourselves, our faith dims, our prayer life dies, and our relationship with a loving God grows cold and distant. We need to be encouraged by one another's faith. We need to hear the gospel preached and see it lived out. We need the prayers of those who kneel beside us in the pew (as they need ours), and we need to band together to do as one body what we could not do as isolated individuals. It may be true as we've heard that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a family to do the work of God! Your church family needs you. And you, my friends in Christ, need your church family. At Saint Luke's, your family is here for you.

I challenge you to invest richly in the life of your church, and I'm not talking about money (that's another sermon). I challenge you to discover your gifts (yes, you have them) and explore ways in which you can join with others in sharing the work of God and growing in your love for Christ and for his people. In bible study groups, reunion groups, Sunday School classes, worship services and fellowship events, you will find others on the journey, like you. They will not be perfect. They will not have all the "answers." They will be forgiven sinners, seeking a closer walk with God, as you are. They will be family to you, and you to them. Everyone's invited to the banquet feast. Grab a spoon, and come!