Fellowship of the Saints
I had supper and some relaxation time last night with some friends - Christian friends.
It's amazing that something so simple can be so valuable. Over the past several years, I have come to know and love about 50 people really deeply through Life team and a mission team. What a diverse mix of folks. There is a sense in me that something special happens when I see those people, and I will usually try to give them a hug when I see them. It's somehow just wrong not to. That bond is really hard to describe, knowing they would do practically anything for me and I for them, that we pray for each other, that we want to know what's up. Like family but different. The more I think of it, the more I'm convinced that we are meant to be this way with people by God's design. The problem is that it's not easy to get there. We have passed through some fires together; illness, jobs, finances, fears, losses, sins, depression, you name it. We have also shared some wonderful times; meals, worship, communion, games, picnics, sharing of fun. It takes time and effort. There have been times when one or more of us really struggles and the rest of us pray and wait. I have watched some of the group leave Abilene for jobs or mission work, and I miss them. Somehow the mix and match of struggles, fun, prayer, meals, and communion has grown us together.
Is this what life should really be like, learning to love each other?
Maybe so. After spending a lot of my life with a thick skin that protected me from getting close or letting anyone else get close, I am slowly learning to shed the skin and love. (All kinds of cheap metaphors come to mind here, but I'll refrain.) I just know it's better to love people like this than NOT to love people like this. I wonder if this is what Jesus had in mind when he prayed for us to be ONE? Hmmm. I tell my children that dating is practice for marriage. I guess fellowship with the Saints is practice for heaven?
It's amazing that something so simple can be so valuable. Over the past several years, I have come to know and love about 50 people really deeply through Life team and a mission team. What a diverse mix of folks. There is a sense in me that something special happens when I see those people, and I will usually try to give them a hug when I see them. It's somehow just wrong not to. That bond is really hard to describe, knowing they would do practically anything for me and I for them, that we pray for each other, that we want to know what's up. Like family but different. The more I think of it, the more I'm convinced that we are meant to be this way with people by God's design. The problem is that it's not easy to get there. We have passed through some fires together; illness, jobs, finances, fears, losses, sins, depression, you name it. We have also shared some wonderful times; meals, worship, communion, games, picnics, sharing of fun. It takes time and effort. There have been times when one or more of us really struggles and the rest of us pray and wait. I have watched some of the group leave Abilene for jobs or mission work, and I miss them. Somehow the mix and match of struggles, fun, prayer, meals, and communion has grown us together.
Is this what life should really be like, learning to love each other?
Maybe so. After spending a lot of my life with a thick skin that protected me from getting close or letting anyone else get close, I am slowly learning to shed the skin and love. (All kinds of cheap metaphors come to mind here, but I'll refrain.) I just know it's better to love people like this than NOT to love people like this. I wonder if this is what Jesus had in mind when he prayed for us to be ONE? Hmmm. I tell my children that dating is practice for marriage. I guess fellowship with the Saints is practice for heaven?
posted by G'ampa C @ 8:25 AM
3 Comments:
At 6:59 AM,
pawatson said…
Calvin, I haven't been able to grab time until now to comment on your post. I think gathered around the table is where it all comes together. I saw this modeled when I was a child growing up. My mom always cooked and we always sat around the table to eat. As family and extended family. It was there I learned to treat all people the same. When dad would hire help to get the crops in, come lunch time, they all ate at the same table, regardless of color of skin. For some of them, this was the first time they had experienced that and it took them some getting used to. Family gatherings always consisted of time spent around the table. As we have carried on with this, one thing I have noticed. You can be deep in conversation around the table. But start clearing the table and suggest moving to "more comfortable" chairs and sofas, and the conversations almost always come to an end or turn more superficial. Yes, I believe that is what it is all about, and why Christ called us to remember Him while gathered around the table. For it is easier to become more open and more intimate there. It is sad that in today's society, less and less emphasis is put on spending time sitting together around a table. For there, we get to know each other and truly become family.
At 6:09 PM,
G'ampa C said…
Thank you, Patsy. I had never made the connection to a table, per se, but I think you are right. Maybe it has to do with looking at each other...
At 10:38 AM,
pawatson said…
I have my blog "linked" now. There is a slight chance in address. I don't think I have posted since your last visit. I'm off to the hospital now for Lorin's dad's surgery, and will stop by and visit with Karen and/or her family. Thanks for blessing me.
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