The Napkin

Enjoy this message from Pastor Tyler Schoenberger called "The Napkin" on Sunday, January 18, 2026 at Reach Church in Bear, Delaware!

The question of why we still attend church on Sunday mornings is worth examining. When you could be sleeping in, enjoying brunch, or pursuing countless other activities, what draws you to sit in uncomfortable chairs and participate in imperfect community? Martin Luther once suggested that without fear as motivation, churches would close within a year, yet he believed we should approach faith freely and happily, not from obligation.The foundation of meaningful church community lies in understanding that our horizontal relationships with others must flow from our vertical relationship with God. Hebrews 10:19-25 reveals this crucial truth: we can love others because we're first secure in God's love through Jesus.

As Tim Keller explained, this security enables us to need less and love more. When we understand we're completely secure in Jesus' love, we're empowered to love others sacrificially because it's no longer about meeting our own needs. The passage calls us to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works - the Greek word meaning to lovingly agitate or encourage others toward what God has called them to do.Like California's towering redwood trees that survive storms through interconnected root systems despite shallow individual roots, the church thrives through community rather than individual strength. Yes, church gets messy with division, disagreements, and wounded people reacting from pain. But the church isn't a showcase for the perfect - it's a hospital for sinners, a place for the broken rather than the self-righteous. Despite the messiness, we can still hear what Steve Brown called the sound of Jesus' sandaled feet as hearts are healed, the lonely are touched with love, and lives are transformed through God's grace working in imperfect community.