Last night was just another reminder for me of how blessed we have been the past 3 years to be living in community with others. Life at seminary is not easy; the demands are great. However, time after time we were reminded that we were not alone; there was a community there to support and walk alongside us. Last night we enjoyed a sort of impromtu bbq with our neighbors and others in the seminary community that are around for the summer. The kids played, the adults cooked and talked and then we all enjoyed a yummy meal together. We are all so different; we come from different places and have had different life experiences, but we are united by Christ’s love in our lives.
Enjoying a summer's evening together
Enjoying good food and conversation in our own backyard
It reminded me of a book I, Katie, read by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called Life Together. In it he talks a lot about community, and specifically Christian community. He writes, “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or a daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ.” I’m thankful for the North Park Seminary community that we have been able to be a part of. I’m thankful for the dear friends we’ve made, for the countless number of times people have volunteered to watch our children at a last moments notice, the great heart to heart conversations over coffee, and so many more things.
We will miss living in this place, but we know that there will be a community waiting for us in Colombia. We look forward to experiencing community with new friends. We envision our first year in Colombia as being one of relationship building, opening our home to our neighbors, to university students, etc. We’re excited to invite people over for dinner, for coffee, for conversations about the Christian life, for small group Bible studies. We are thankful that community is not limited to place, but is found in and through Christ.
