Belonging

Since our days on the playground, there has been an innate desire in most of us to belong. We wanted to be a part of the group hanging out near the swings, or the group that was playing on the basketball court. As human beings, we long to belong. That is why community is so important. In true community and genuine Koinonia (the Greek word for fellowship), one experiences a place of acceptance and belonging.

This is not to say that we all conform to the same likeness or that our churches look the exact same. That is not to say that we do not have diversity. Rather, we have the authentic community that fosters a sense of belonging and purpose. This is exactly what happened in the early church. After Pentecost, Luke tells us in the Book of Acts that those who had believed in Jesus began sharing life together. There was probably a sense of belonging and purpose as they would sell their possessions and give the proceeds to those who needed them. There was something abuzz about this new community. It’s freedom. It’s joy. It’s love was something that was palpable and its actions very convincing.

This coming together in community in the early church probably created a sense belonging. From this belonging came a movement that spread throughout Israel, the Mediterranean, and beyond. I want to invite us all to consider the power of belonging and how it helps to create a movement. When we feel a part of something, energy is created, the group dynamics change, and we began to feel less alone and more a part of something. We hope that happens when we come together around the communion table, around the table to prepare sandwiches for Grate Patrol, and when we sit down around the table to eat on the third Sunday of each month, and we come together to celebrate in worship. The belonging that we feel creates the synergy that propels the movement that we are a part of.

I hope you will join us on Sunday at 5 PM. I will be preaching about continuing to create a movement (or continue the movement that was created 2000 years ago.) As well as how our sense of belonging is rooted in this movement. I can’t wait to see what God is doing among us, and I can’t wait to hear how God has been at work in your life this week.