As the end of summer approached, so began the familiar shift in seasons, summer turning to fall, the hot humid air now bringing cooler and crispier mornings, only for the sun to warm the days to an all too desirable temperature. This is the beginning of my favorite time of year. In light of that upcoming season, a dear friend of mine planned and hosted a “Fall Brunch,” to celebrate the Lord’s goodness in His provision of food, friends, and life. I brought my camera, seeking to capture the moments where we joyfully benefited from one another’s company and food, turning some of those moments into a short video (see here).
Throughout Scripture, it is evident that blessings come from above. God provides manna and quail from heaven for the Israelites in the wilderness. He hands over the pagan nations and their land to them as an inheritance. Those are not just spiritual blessings. Even still, the measure in which we tangibly feel and see God’s goodness in His blessings is infinite. Everything has been given to us by Him, including the faith that we have in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. He is King and Lord over all heaven and earth! Our Salvation is an undeserved gift, and the clothes on our back, the roof over our head, the food on our plate, the friends that we have, are all evidence, tangible evidence, of our Father’s blessings.
There is a caveat to true joy in fellowship. We must first be yoked with Christ since no true fellowship is apart from Christ. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore, (ESV).” This is applicable in any kind of relationship, there is no true fellowship with spouses, friends, or family, apart from Christ, (1 John 1:1-3).
Cultivating fellowship in community takes time and effort. As Rachel Jankovic says, “we should be the providers of our own faithfulness, not consumers of other’s [faithfulness].” As a young woman, I understand far too much the ease in sitting alone watching a sermon, seeing social media posts about friends going to mega-conferences, envious of what I did not have. To be blunt, this way of “living” will not serve you well. When push comes to shove, any foundation you may have will be shaky at best. Discipleship in friendship is digging into the nitty gritty of obedience. We are to be longsuffering, patient, and faithful to Kingdom work and proclamation, including being faithful to pray, seek, and trust that God will provide brothers and sisters in Christ, to live on mission with.
Once, when I was in a new town, I prayed for a church and community, solid in its theology, robust in the preaching, dedicated to the mission and glory of God. Now, having what I asked for tenfold, I am witness to a community that encourages one another to sow seeds of life for the Kingdom, for heaven on earth, continuously being sanctified as representatives of His Kingdom, as a reflection of His glory. And one day we will be presented to Him, as true servants, boldly presenting to Him the fruit of our hands, where He will say, according to our faithfulness and righteousness, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master, (Matthew 25:23 ESV).”
I implore those who are still seeking solid community to continue to pray faithfully for that. It is true that we were not made to be alone, applying not only to marriage, but to friendship and fellowship with the body. I come from the South, where there is wrongful practice of individual faith. We have somehow cocooned ourselves into the “safety” of our own company where there is no true growth. This is the way that I grew up, and I was comfortable with being alone in front of a livestream. But it is no excuse to not get out and pursue community. Pray in faith, BELIEVE, but don’t sit back waiting for community, or anything for that matter, to be handed over. Much can be learned in the very act of going to church alone. I did and God provided.
For those that do have community and are seeking to cultivate further relationships, to break bread with one another outside of corporate worship, start inviting people into your home. We mustn’t wait for the perfect house, the best cooking skills, or the most beautiful dining plates. I co-hosted a Ladies Tea about a month ago, and let me tell you, the woman whose house we met at had a whole assortment of china sets, I mean BEAUTIFUL pieces, all mix matched and set out so each one of us could choose our favorite teacup. Those pieces weren’t collected in one week. This was a collection years in the making. Don’t give in to envy or jealousy. I was awestruck, but there was a sober reality that if I dwelt on having the dishes from the tea, or our brunch, then I could easily become sinful in my attitude. That tea collection is just an example of how attaining pieces with character and history will take time. Please don’t think I mean you should only have antique dinnerware; I have simple Walmart brand dishes mixed with some hand-me-down plates that serve a magnificent purpose.
And finally, the food. In one word, potlucks. There should not be undue pressure to curate an extravagant menu, singlehandedly preparing everything yourself. You’ll just put yourself in deeper temptation to have a bad attitude when you inevitably get overwhelmed. I’m not talking about family dinners, no, I mean for teas, brunches, and groups, potlucks take the weight off one person while challenging others to contribute in a way that may not be instinctual. I hope to write more on this topic of food later.
Praise be to the Lord our God.
Jenni
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