Matthew 18:2-5

[Nathanial] Last week I was asked to assist in chaperoning a sixth grade class on a work shift to the organization "Feed My Starving Children." While this organization has a foundation in Christian ideas, it was really unique to share this experience in a complete non-church setting. While singing "Thriller" with a couple of the boys was fun, the most amazing part of this experience happened afterwards. The sixth graders were all asked to write reflective letters. Two boys wrote their leters specifically to me and it is through their words that I found a beautiful nugget of hope in an otherwise stressful day at school. May their words inspire your hearts as well:

"Dear Mr. Nathanial,
I learned how to use the machines. I also learned that a lot of people die of starvation. Did you know that we packed 14,040 packages? This expereince will help me know I save a lot of kids. I will now volunteer alot of places now. Sincerely, J."

"Dear Mr. Nathanial,
On our field trip to Feed My Starving Children we packed 14,040. We packed enough food that we helped feed 38 children for a year. I had fun and we helped alot of people. I learned that you can have fun and help alot of kids. I also learned that the food they send was good and not so bad. This will affect my life by me feeling satisfide of what I did and how many kids are happy. Sincerely, JRD."

Matthew 18:2-5.
Frieden.

We party, we serve, we worship, we live, we do life, together

[Tony] There was a weekend not long ago that began with a bachelor party. This was a bachelor party for a fellow saint, whose upcoming wedding was highly anticipated as a union of two hearts given to God. The weekend began with a bachelor party (during which we engaged in stimulating discussion at our local library, followed by a fun night of Chutes and Ladders and Kool-aid =) and that bachelor party consisted of a crew of gentlemen who I would have never known had I not been a member of my church. We stayed out late, partied like we should have, celebrated thoroughly, and then hit the sack, exhausted, but filled with joy. Some of us went home. Some of us actually stayed at one another's homes for the night, drinking in every opportunity to be together with friends. The next morning, most of those who had been part of the bachelor party the night before reconvened with others from our church for a service project, cleaning up a park. We spent the morning together, serving the environment and the community, reminiscing about the night before, and telling stories to everyone else that was serving with us. After the service project, we all departed our separate ways. Most of us ended up napping through the afternoon. I got to go home to a house full of brothers in Christ. Then, to end our weekend, we all came together again. This time, as on every Sunday, we spent our evening at church, celebrating everything that God has done and is doing, the relationships that we have, and this life that is such a blessing to live in Him.
So, after telling you about this particular weekend, I pose the following question: what does the body look like? Is the body simply a group of people who meet at a particular church on Sundays? Is the body a group of people with separate lives, who don't know each other's names, who come to church, listen to a sermon, and sing a few songs? Or, is the body a way of life? Is the body something that is alive, that moves together, that not only does church together but does the everyday things of life together as well? The highlight of my weekend was the realization that, as a body, we partied together and celebrated each other, then we served together, then we worshiped God together. What does it look like for the church to be a body that does life together?
We party, we serve, we worship, we live, we do life, together.