Celebrating the Joy of Christ

(Posted September 21, 2023)

"We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God." -- John Stott, English Theologian

One of the most gratifying things for me occurs when I look out at our congregational community as I stand at our raised center pulpit. From this vantage point, I get to see the families and individuals who make up First Church (and know of the presence of others joining us digitally). Beyond our historical lineage as a gathering that is 327 years old in 2023, we are blessed not only with people with a long family history with us, but with people whose more recent joining reflects the world.

This city, and the Church who gave birth to it, reflects how the Good News of Jesus and his salvation for all has wrapped itself around the globe.

Church Services on Sunday

In-Person Service begins at 10 a.m. Facemasks are optional if you are fully vaccinated.

Watch us on Facebook: We livestream our services to Facebook. You may view them live or on demand at www.Facebook.com/DanburyChurch/videos.

In the first century, the “newborn” followers of Jesus were told by him just after his resurrection what they were supposed to do:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

And that is exactly what those first disciples did, very often at great peril. They became missionaries of the Good News. In that first century the Apostle Paul, the Apostle James and the Apostle Thomas traveled to the far reaches of the known world. They brought faith and participation as Christians to an eager world starved for the truth. Those first messengers of God paid with their lives.

Spreading the Good News of Jesus

Believers who came after them picked up the banner and spread it, not only on the eastern side of the Atlantic, but to the so-called New World where they spread the Word. They also came to know how the political quest for domination could misuse religion to gain power.

Nevertheless, those who heard the voice of Jesus embraced it still. Today from our pulpit, we not only see the descendants of the Pilgrims and Puritans, but of those who journeyed here from South America, the Philippines, India, the Caribbean, China and Japan, to name only a few locations where the Good News took root.

This Autumn for at least once a month we will pay tribute to what the faith and the Joy of Christ looks like in some of these cultures through their music, their dance and their writing. Please join us in these cultural celebrations, and maybe even learn a thing or two about praising God in a different language.

On October 1, we will observe World Communion Sunday, which reflects the global spread of the presence of Jesus throughout the globe.