What a great weekend away we have just had! A whole weekend spent hearing God’s word brought to us by the fantastic Mark Russell, worshipping Jesus, seeking the will of our Father in our lives and generally having loads of fun!
I just thought I’d share what for me was probably the most special part of our time together. During those days, we saw glimpses of what really felt like an genuine, Jesus-centred community. This happened as students who did not really know each other previously hung out and got to know each other, and those on the fringes became integrated. This seemed to happen naturally, out of a sense of desiring inclusivity, not out of duty.
We also saw these glimpses during times of prayer and worship, especially on the saturday night where the Holy Spirit was really at work in a number of people. Everyone was praying for everyone, joining together to meet each other’s spiritual needs and giving their time to serve each other. Seeking God’s will not just for their own lives, but for the life of our community.
This is how we should be living on a daily basis – as an authentic community who truly cares for and loves each other. This is what our clusters and cell groups should look like – groups of people walking with Jesus and doing it together.
On a personal level, I lost a good friend from school recently when he was involved in a road collision. I cannot overstate how much I appreciated the support, love and prayer shown by people in our community when I heard about what had happened. These people gave me their time and engaged with where I was, allowing me to deal with the grief in a loving environment.
We are one body as a church. When one part of the body is affected, the other parts feel it too. As Mark said over the weekend, the whole of the Lord’s prayer is written in plural; “OUR father”, ”give US today our daily bread”, “lead US not into temptation”. Clearly, the idea is that we live for God and do it with and for each other. The first two commandments are to love God with everything we are, and to love our neighbours as ourselves.
Let’s be communities that replicate this in its purist form, not in a cliquey way but in a totally accepting and inclusive way. This in turn will be incredibly attractive to a world of isolated and lost people, who we can extend the love of Jesus and of our community to.
