It’s Like a Community Within a Community
On Saturday evening after the Atlantic Highlands Tree Lighting, we threw our 4th annual Light It Up! After Party. For what was a lightly attended tree lighting, our after party was not: it was filled with kids familiar and not, new friends, visitors, and many of you. It was a GREAT party.
Thank you to all who made a soup or chili, who helped set up or clean up, ran crafts, or who was just there to be warm, friendly, and fun.
I had a conversation with a woman who I had never met before, who was visiting our church basement for the first time. She was reflecting on how much fun it was, on how everyone seemed so nice and friendly, and how great it was that we opened our doors and extended the invite to anyone from town. She was telling me that she’s from Atlantic Highlands and how much she loved the community, but how this church seemed different. She said,
“It’s like a community within a community…”
And she’s right.
Church (every church, not just ours!) is meant to be a ‘community within a community’. The church is meant to be a community that leads the way in generosity, in compassion, in welcome, in mercy, in love, in forgiveness, in truth, in grace, in friendship – in community. As I said on Sunday, the church is meant to be the community on earth where peace – shalom – is truly made real and tangible on earth.
As a community within a community, the church is meant to be a light – a witness – to the broader community around it for the God who is its God, and of Jesus who is its Lord and King, and of the Spirit who is its life.
I saw the church be that church this weekend.
It happened on Friday night at my father-in-law’s funeral through great sorrow. I saw it in the way you loved and cared for our family. I saw it in the way you wept with those who wept (Romans 12:15). I felt it in the way you bore our burdens, and in this way, fulfilled the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
It happened on Saturday afternoon at Frank & Renee’s wedding through great celebration. I saw it in the way you celebrated their union and new marriage, and gave thanks to the God who blesses us so richly. I saw it in the way you rejoiced with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15).
It happened on Saturday evening at Light It Up! through great joy, warmth, and welcome. I saw it the way you welcomed others as Christ has welcomed you, all for God’s glory (Romans 15:7). I saw it how you brought joy, laughter, cheer, and warm food to our neighbors, all for the good purpose of building up the neighbor (Romans 15:2).
In great pain or in great celebration, it was a community of peace on earth. It truly was a community within a community that everyone who saw it would want to be a part of.
For the glory of God, for the mission of the church, and for the good of our neighbors, may we keep being that community more and more this Christmas, this new year, and beyond.
We can all do that by inviting, or bringing along, our friends, neighbors, and family to our big Christmas Pageant and Celebration on the 21st, and of course, to our Christmas Eve service on the 24th.