我們與上帝同在（二）：與人彼此跟上帝同在

Being with God (II): Being with God and One Another

Samuel WELLS

The first essay concerns personal prayer of the believer and discipleship, whereas this one concerns the church and her “ministry”. It gives an account of how being with one another is being with God and describes the practice of being with God together as “worship”. Church is about showing up, or “Presence”, not just for worship, but for assembling together: gathering to pray, to break bread and drink wine together, and for particular occasions. There are five other kinds of gathering for other purposes. First, gathering to build up the body. Prayer of “Attention” dwells not just on who is present, but on who is not, and who should be; in other words, it will be in the form of confession, about the church not (yet) being what she is called to be. Second, gathering to care for the weak. “Mystery” expects things to go wrong, so we can take for granted that repair and restoration are closer to the church’s identity than fixing things. Third, gathering to resource the community, i.e. to see things in our lives as a sacrament, a window into the “Mystery” of God, and induces a transformed attitude, “Delight” in being the children of God as well as in being alive. A congregation must rediscover the unselfconscious joy like a little child. Fourth, gathering to serve and encounter the stranger. “Participation” is a recognition that, if we are with God, and with one another, there is nothing we cannot face, endure, or enriched by. Fifth, gathering to discern the good of the body. “Partnership” is about “working with” more than “being with”. It involves the prayer of discernment, of commission, and of intercession. All Christians are called to ministry, the only question is, to which one. Lastly, as for “Enjoyment” and “Glory”, the life amid the fellowship of the congregation stands out because “here I am enjoyed; elsewhere I am used”; and “Glory” is a collective experience and is inherently entered as prayer. The church exists for prayer, and prayer is fundamentally people coming together to enjoy God enjoying them.