42\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>They devoted themselves to the apostles\u2019 teaching\u00a0and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread\u00a0and to prayer.\u00a043\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.\u00a044\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>All the believers were together and had everything in common.\u00a045\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.\u00a046\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.\u00a0They broke bread\u00a0in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,\u00a047\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.\u00a0And the Lord added to their number\u00a0daily those who were being saved.<\/em><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
My grandmother\u2019s church always held an annual fish fry. They still do, I hope. Every July they would post signs by the road and little old ladies in polyester pantsuits and nude hose would sell tickets. The same ladies would make pies and brownies and fudge for the bake sale and quilts and pillow shams for the silent auction. Their husbands would make frames and end tables in their wood-working shed, back when people had a place and the time for such things, and they\u2019d auction those off as well.<\/p>\n
The day of the fish fry was \u00a0the hottest of the year, always. But the tables were set up behind the steepled church under big oak trees to give it shade. And a tiny creek, more like a trickle, ran through the center of it all and made is seem cooler. Big fans blew in the multipurpose gym where people entered, handed over a ticket, and then spilled out on the lawn. Inflatables waited for the kids and men passed out double-layered paper plates. The trick was to be first in line for a new batch, so the catfish came out nice and crispy and steaming hot all in the same pile as the hush puppies.<\/p>\n
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The grown-ups would sit and visit or maybe make a bid or two for the quilt or stitching of a friend. The kids ran wild, like really wild, begging quarters for a third cookie and running through the creek even though all the moms yelled not to. It was lovely in that little church on that one day every July.<\/p>\n
I think there\u2019s something to be said for tradition and small communities. I think the early Christians had it right, probably by default (in conflict you pool your resources). They ate and lived and spent time together in ways we don\u2019t seem to do anymore. I attend a church now much younger than my grandmother\u2019s. It\u2019s bigger, in a newer building with newer blood. You should see the nursery; it\u2019s half the population. We are in our nesting period. But I see us making our traditions that will become old-school in their own good time. I like that we take communion from wooden tables at the front in small groups, just ten or so faces lit up by candles for the breaking of bread. It feels special and sacred, as it should. I like that we have community groups that meet during the week in people\u2019s homes for dinner. I like Trunk or Treat at Halloween and the Easter Egg hunt and the kids playing bells on Christmas.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s harder now than it used to be to find the small connectedness in things like the early Christians did, like my grandmother\u2019s church did. Harder but not impossible. \u00a0I believe we can still find our eddies, our little pockets of specialness that make the ordinary sacred. We need more small communal acts in our lives to remind us of the point. Because the point is to hold hands, turn heavenwards, and praise God, whether that be through fried fish or nursery duty or the ringing of bells. We need to lean in to each other if we\u2019re going to make the Christian life more about a building and a day of the week.<\/p>\n
Sunday Thoughts Link Up!<\/strong><\/h1>\nIt’s time for another Sunday Thoughts Link-Up! I know there are many out there with wisdom that could encourage all of us. As long as it’s faith-based, I’d love for you to join up and then read and comment on what others have shared. Please also leave a comment here. Think of this as a Sunday morning community group that comes to you. And grab the button if you like…<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mom-gene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Sunday-Thoughts-Button.jpeg?w=1170\" "\\"The")
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<\/p>\nIt’s time for another Sunday Thoughts Link-Up! I know there are many out there with wisdom that could encourage all of us. As long as it’s faith-based, I’d love for you to join up and then read and comment on what others have shared. Please also leave a comment here. Think of this as a Sunday morning community group that comes to you. And grab the button if you like…<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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