Two weekends ago our theme on the youth retreat was community (how appropriate since its even in the name of our church). We spent a lot of time trying to figure out how and why this topic was important, and can I just say that I may have learned the most from it??
Communities were/ are built for 2 reasons: 1. to benefit us. 2. to benefit the world. Why would we be a part of something if it weren’t impacting us in a positive way? Also, why would we be a part of something if it had no meaning outside of ourselves?
The weekend overall was just a ton of fun. We played games. We ATE. Holy moly, we ate. And we spent a ton of time in the car together. But the coolest part about the whole retreat was coming home. Why you might ask? Because those themes that we discussed, the prayers we prayed, and the lessons we learned are still actively being seen in REAL LIFE 2 weeks later within our youth group.
Praise the Lord for retreats! Such good times to get away and have a blast, but also such a great way to really form the community that we were teaching about. One that encourages. One that supports. One that listens. One that cares. One that is invested. And one that takes action together.
Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
And there’s an exclamation point in the Bible… I didn’t just add it in myself 🙂
But really, how great is it to feel connected? How great is it to be a part of something greater than yourself? And how awesome is it to invite unity into a group? Not just saying, “We’re a community because we hang out”, but saying, “We’re a community because we are UNITED in love, in Spirit, and in truth.”
It’s an invitation: Kuh-myoo-ni-tee. Come unity. Community.
edye + ethel 