Community vs Going it Alone
I love this new post by my friend, Vicky.
Advent-Pointing to the Promise Community vs Going it Alone
Jesus’ birth was promised to us by prophecy (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6) for a very long time before it became fulfilled. Was it promised to a single person or was it promised to a group? While his birth was to each of us individually, I want you to consider that it was for community. I want us to think today about how our Father’s plan is to us as individuals and for us as a community.
When the angel told Mary that she would conceive a child….it was to her as an individual but for us as a community! When the angels heralded the birth to the shepherds, they didn’t come to just one shepherd, they came to a group of shepherds! When the wise men came from afar, it wasn’t just one, it was traditionally 3 but probably a group!
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit did not fall on one person but a group of people in the upper room. All along the Master plan has been for us to be in community.
Advent brings us to Christmas, the promise of the coming Messiah. Christmas is filled with people, groups of people, hordes of people. For some that is a very pleasant thought and for others it brings a fear into our heart. How will the old family dynamics work this year? Will Uncle Jim be on his good behavior, will cousin Sally be obnoxious, will everything go well? It’s not by accident that these groups happen. It’s our time to shine and shine brightly with the love of the Lord to those who are less than easy to live with. (Matt 5:16) What is our other choice? Going it alone and I present to you that scripture shows us clearly that while Christ came to us individually, He came for us in community. Go into your groups knowing that collectively is how He wants us to live. We need each other. As I sit here eating some grapes, I’m looking at how the Father put them on a vine…..they need to be in a cluster all connected to the vine in order to mature.(John 15) We need to be in groups to mature in Him. As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another (Prov 27:17 ESV).
So our job this Advent season is to live and share with our light the love of the Lord as we reach out to others to help them to their maturity! Don’t get caught up in the busyness….get caught up in the business of shining for the Lord!
Shine for Him!
Vicky Haley
Healthy Habits with Vicky
