God loves beauty. Growing up, I have often marveled at the wonders of God’s creation. Everywhere I look, I marvel at the complexity of the smallest things and the variety abounding in the seas, the forests, the plains, and even the cosmos. Everywhere I look, I see beauty. In this fallen, broken world, the beauty is too often marred, but it cannot be taken away. And so, I have concluded that God loves beauty and thus I believe God is beautiful. God’s beauty goes beyond the physical. The gospel is beautiful. Sacrifice out of love is beautiful. The sight of a father holding his baby in his arms face to face, speaking to his baby, and the baby cooing and gurgling back – that is beautiful. When we give time to each other to understand each other and care for each other, that is beautiful.

It brings a smile to my face when I see people connecting, and I hope to see more. Jesus gave His life for us so that we might connect with God and with each other. The gospel builds community and the church is our gospel community. So, I hope that when we gather together on Sundays and in our small groups, we are doing more than religious exercises, but we are also connecting, building, and growing together with each other and with our God. When this happens, we will see the beauty of our Lord. For there is no greater beauty than the love that flowed down from Jesus’ wounds. So, I hope we will make an effort to gather together and connect with each other to build our gospel community. “19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh … 24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:19, 20, 24 and 25.) After all, an online sermon doesn’t care who you are.