Ideal Community
Scripture Reading — Acts 2:42-47
All the believers were one in heart and mind. Acts 4:32
Last Tuesday I dropped my eighth-grade son off at his school. It's a ritual we've done hundreds of times in the past two years. Tuesday was unique because all the eighth graders (400 of them) spent the whole day at a water park. As a result, lots of questions came up about expectations and behavior patterns: Should he wear a bathing suit or shorts to school? Should he take a towel? Will the school provide food?
After dropping him off, I saw two friends walking to school. They had the same brand of backpack and the same shorts and shoes. They even had the same kind of haircut. They looked confident in the face of junior high angst because they had each other.
Imagine a junior high school where no one worried, "What should I wear?" Imagine a place where acceptance didn't depend on the length of your shorts or your body shape, because each person was deeply valued and treasured. If one student forgot her towel, another would gladly share. If one student looked for a place to sit on a bus, two friends would happily slide over to make room. If lunch was a problem, students would pool money to help each other out.
Each of us longs to be part of a community in which peace rules and people look out for each other. Only the Holy Spirit builds that kind of community.
Father, invade our church and family. Build us into the kind of community that shares everything. Fill us all with your grace, and help us show your love everywhere. Amen.
About the author — Kevin Adams
Dr. Kevin Adams has served as a church planter/pastor in the Sacramento, California, area since 1991. He and his wife, Gerry, began Granite Springs Church in Lincoln, and this congregation has helped to nourish several other church plants. Kevin also serves as a director of the Sierra Leadership Network, a training program for new church leaders.
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