Chrissie Prichard, Member since 2007, Outreach Council member

Acts 2:42-47
“The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They share food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.”

Reflection:
I talked to a good friend from college earlier this week. It had been a while since we had last spoken. She told me that she and her husband and their two young children moved to a new city in late February, just before we all learned what the term “social distancing” meant. Now they are away from all the friends and family they know without the ability to find a new church family or create relationships with neighbors and co-workers. It broke my heart hearing the loneliness in her voice.

Like many of you, I often struggle to find the meaning in all of this. What are we supposed to learn? How are we supposed to respond? I am still searching for these answers, but I do know that the Holy Spirit has used these past few months to continuously remind me of the importance of community.

From the very beginning, God’s teachings reveal that we were not created to be alone (Genesis 2:18). That remains true today. Dr. Mark Hyman, physician and author, said, “the power of community to create health is far greater than any physician, clinic, or hospital.” Isn’t that incredible?! We were quite literally created to live together! We are better, happier, healthier people when sharing our lives with others.

And yet, Acts 2:42-47 goes even further. As the Book of Acts seeks to teach us about the life of the early church and how Jesus leads his followers through the Holy Spirit, we learn believers are called to not just be in community but be “devoted to the community.” What does it mean to be devoted to our community, rather than simply being a part of it? It is a call to action, a call to demonstrate our devotion through actively sharing God’s goodness with those around us. We can turn the deep longing we feel to see friends and family, and the sorrow we share when we know others are lonely into a purpose. That purpose might be providing for those in need, much like the early church in this passage, through donating to our Christian Community Services Center food drives or collecting needed items for those impacted by Hurricane Laura. Or maybe we are called to check in with a friend we haven’t talked to in a while or take the time to meet our neighbors, creating community in every way we can.

To me, this passage in Acts serves as a true example of what God’s Kingdom can look like here on earth – God performing miracles, with believers breaking bread together, supporting each other, praising God, and demonstrating God’s goodness. I want to be a part of that! I want to devote myself to my community in order to demonstrate God’s goodness. I’m going to start by making sure I check in with my friend each and every week. I can’t be with her physically, but I can make sure she knows she is loved and is part of my community. 

Prayer:
Dear Lord, we desire to create your Kingdom here on earth. We know you made us to be in community, and we thank you for this inner longing for togetherness that serves as a call to action. We thank you for the example you gave us in Acts. We pray that today you will show us one way to demonstrate our devotion to our community and that in doing so we will demonstrate your goodness. Amen.