What is Christian community? Is it living in a bubble with only fellow Christians who think just like you? Not exactly. Christian community is about fully embracing the body of Christ.
[pullquote type=”right”]I knew I would leave soon, and I hate goodbyes. Sometimes my hate for goodbyes stops me from saying hello.[/pullquote] As said in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.”I was attracted to Love Thy Neighborhood because it offers social justice internships. What I didn’t take as much interest in during my first few weeks here was the Christian community side of the program. Little did I know, Christian community is just what I needed to learn about and experience.
I wasn’t super interested in learning about Christian community because I knew I would leave soon, and I hate goodbyes. Sometimes my hate for goodbyes stops me from saying hello.
[pullquote type=”left”]As the night continued, laughter, love and sense of community filled the house, leaving no room for fear or anxiety.[/pullquote] I had noticed God working on my heart and building my trust for my teammates, but I did not fully give into the thought of accepting Christian community until a few Fridays ago. We usually eat dinner together as a house once a week. This week, though, we decided to invite the guy summer interns over as well.About twenty minutes before the guys were supposed to arrive, it started to storm. If you know anything about me, you should know how much I am terrified of storms. Most of the girls in my house, and even a couple of the guys, know this. So as the storm rolled in, I sat in the kitchen and just stared out the window in pure horror.
As the guys walked into the house, a loud burst of thunder filled the room. I, of course, jumped and let out a small squeal. A male teammate, who didn’t know about my fear, laughed and made a comment about the house getting struck by lightning. Almost everyone in the room recognized that this comment didn’t settle well with me. Multiple housemates began to comfort me and seek to distract me from the ongoing storm. [pullquote type=”right”]There’s just a peace in knowing you are surrounded by people who don’t know you extremely well, but seek to love you as if they do.[/pullquote]
As the night continued, laughter, love and sense of community filled the house, leaving no room for fear or anxiety. There’s just a peace in knowing you are surrounded by people who don’t know you extremely well, but seek to love you as if they do. My team did not judge me or treat me like a child because of my fear, they embraced it.
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Coming together in Christ with all of those gifts is what makes a complete community. Being united in community is key for impacting the world. Many parts, one body. Multiple people, one Christ.
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