Over a three week period I have two different reunions with different brothers and sisters in Christ. The first is with a congregation where we spent 16 years, first as the campus evangelist and then as a community evangelist where I also shared the weekly preaching duties. The second reunion is with the campus ministry where I became a Christian and met Holly. This campus ministry is a very special place for Holly and me. Unfortunately this reunion is in Texas so we will not be able to travel to that one. The first reunion is in Champaign, Illinois, where I am right now as I write.
Reunions are great for connecting and reconnecting. Catching up with someone you haven’t seen for a while, who maybe you don’t even recognize because (unlike you) they have gotten much older! But you reconnect again. And it’s just like it was yesterday because the years and experiences you have shared have bonded you together forever. And even though you hurry to catch up on the present, you can’t help but talk about the past. These past experiences, both good and bad, are what created this strong and lasting friendship. Just driving into the community of Champaign-Urbana, brings back so many memories of our time raising our family here. It sort of reminds us of where we came from and who we are.
Each week when we come together as the Body of Christ, it is a mini-reunion of sorts. We see people who we may have not talked with during the week and we greet them with a warm hug. Just walking through the church building doors should instill in us a feeling of coming home. Maybe it’s been a tough week and you feel crushed by the world and you just need to get to the place where you feel safe and loved. Even though it’s only been a week, there is so much to talk about! Share those things with each other--the good things and the bad--and encourage each other. That’s one of the reasons we are told to meet together in the first place. See Hebrews 10:25.
Another reason we come together is to remind us of where we came from and Whose we are. First Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” When we share in the Lord’s Supper together, we are reminded of what Jesus did to make us free from the slavery of sin. It reminds us that we are no longer a servant to sin. It challenges us to live as servants of God on this earth until that day we will join Him heaven. Now that will be a reunion I don’t want to miss!
Reuniting,
Randy
