Jun. 28, 2026

What if church felt like a place where everybody knows your name — and they're genuinely glad you came?

Pastor Dave brought the "One Anothers" series to a warm close this week, finishing with two final imperatives drawn from Romans 12, 1 Peter 4, Hebrews 12, and Ephesians 4: greet one another, and pursue peace and unity with one another. Fittingly for a series about Christian community, both one anothers come down to the same root truth — that living together in Christ requires intentional, daily effort, and that the effort is always worth it.

Greet One Another: The Beginning of Hospitality - Pastor Dave opened by demystifying one of the New Testament's more puzzling-sounding instructions: "greet one another with a holy kiss." In first-century Mediterranean culture, he explained, a kiss on the cheek was simply a warm, sincere expression of welcome, affirming peace and bond between people. Today's equivalent: a firm handshake, a hug, a side hug, a pat on the back — "kind of like we did earlier when Neil said, 'Hey, why don't you greet one another?'"

The deeper point was that greeting is the beginning of hospitality, and 1 Peter 4:9 calls believers to "be hospitable to one another without grumbling." Hospitality means making people welcome, seeing to their needs, sharing resources, and reflecting God's generosity. Two quick stories landed the point: guests who texted ahead about preferring tea — but arrived wanting coffee — and showing up for an appointment only to be met at the door with, "I sure wish you hadn't come today." The host had just returned from the emergency room after injuring her hand on a mixer while making them a cake. Both situations, he said, still call for hospitality.

To describe what church community at its best should feel like, Pastor Dave referenced the theme song from the TV show Cheers — about a group of flawed people who became family in an unlikely place where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came. "That should be our theme song." He then issued a practical challenge: when someone mentions a hard week during the greeting time, don't save the prayer for later. Do it right there in the coffee room — thirty seconds, right then, on the spot.

Pursue Peace and Unity with One Another - Three passages shaped this section, and Pastor Dave pointed out that each contains a strong action word. Hebrews 12:14 says to pursue peace — actively and continuously. Romans 12:18 says as much as depends on you — you are responsible for your side of every relationship, even when the other person won't cooperate. Ephesians 4:3 says to be endeavoring to keep unity — diligent, careful, ongoing attention. "Peace is not passive," he said. "Pursuing peace with some people is hard work. It just is."

Peace, he clarified, is not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of harmony, wholeness, and unity. He reached for the word "bond" in Ephesians 4:3 and traced it to its Greek meaning: a ligament. A ligament holds the body together and enables movement — tear it and you're crippled. Peace in a fellowship of believers is that ligament.

He drew a memorable distinction between being a peacekeeper and being a peacemaker. A peacekeeper overlooks and doesn't escalate. A peacemaker takes action to restore peace when it's broken — sometimes by apologizing, sometimes by confronting. "Being a peacemaker isn't being a doormat for everybody to walk over you." Both postures are needed, and both require humility. He closed by reading Ephesians 4:4-6 and its seven "ones" — one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God — and brought the entire series home: "Whether you like me or not, I'm part of your family. We might as well be at peace with one another."

Pastor Dave closed by reading the apostolic benediction from 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 over the congregation, ending where any good series on community should end — with grace, love, and fellowship.