There were about 12 people in the group ranging from ages 17 – 80. I was the 17 year old. In this small Christian community was a couple that had been married over 50 years and another over 25 years. There was a young mother of two children and various other people from very different stages and experiences of life. We really didn’t have anything in common except that we were all followers of Jesus. We met for 12 consecutive weeks and the experience changed my life.
It was an experiment in practical Christianity. Each week we sought to live into the previous week’s discussion about what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. When we returned the following week we shared how that experiment went and discussed a new aspect of the Christian life to “try-out” the next week. I received so much from each member of that group even though none of them was close to my age. They even said that they received much from me even though we were far apart in years. Somehow God used this most unlikely grouping of people to communicate Christ’s presence, guidance and life. We became a real community in a few short weeks.
This phenomenon is miraculous – but ever since that small group experience 36 years ago, I see it happen all the time. Where two or three gather in Christ’s name, He is there and the group becomes something more than people meeting. It becomes a means of grace where Christ ministers to each person through the others. People thrive in small groups like these because they embody the essence of the church – people who are growing as apprentices of Jesus, who love, serve and know God.
We are made to thrive in Christian community. Most of us can experience that most directly in a small group that is designed for this purpose. For many people, however, the biggest stumbling block to being a part of a group is time. We are such busy people that we have a hard time fitting everything in.
Small groups that thrive are not meant to be something that we add on to an already busy schedule. When they are healthy, these groups integrate life and make living well possible. Through Christian community we draw closer to Christ who is the Lord of every aspect of life. The closer we move Him to the center the more we find a healthy rhythm. The more we push Christ to edge, the more chaotic is our life experience. Christ brings order, direction, energy and purpose to all that we do. The busier your life, the more you need a small group in which to thrive.
This article appeared on Mar. 13th, 2013 in the Cal-Nev Annual Conference blog: Vital
Signs and Wonder (http://vitalsignsandwonders.wordpress.com/blog/)