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Devotional

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We Gather Together

Presbyterian women gather in song and praise during
the 2003 Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women.

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them"
(Matt. 18:20).

In today's world, our identity as North Americans can sometimes overshadow our identity as Christians. We live hectic lives constrained by time, money and other commitments. We spend less and less time with our church and family, and close-knit neighborhoods are fading away. Where is this individualism, competitiveness and drive for success taking us?

When I was a child, I desperately wanted a new bicycle-one with a banana seat, colorful streamers on the handlebars and a pretty basket on the front. I prayed for this bicycle and eventually I got a bicycle---a beautiful green one---but soon I moved on to my next request. While this type of prayer is normal for children---and I am sure I still employ such petitions at times---it does not exemplify a full prayer life. Even a more mature discipline of daily Bible reading and prayer is not enough, though God does continue to mold and encourage us through such practice.

Why can we not do it alone? Why must we gather in Christ's name? Why do we pray as Jesus taught us to pray?

Even prayed privately, the Lord's Prayer holds us together as we pray to our Father, for our bread, our forgiveness and our guidance. Jesus taught us to live and pray together, not alone. There is much strength to be found in youth gatherings, women's circles and even committee meetings, for as we work, study and pray together, the Holy Spirit moves. In the end, we find that we have encountered more that just another way to read the Bible, more than a corrective to our own perspective---we have encountered God.

What does it mean to be a Christian? For me, it means being a chosen child of God and a part of the larger family of God. Being a Christian means being called into a large, loving and diverse community to carry each other's burdens and to strengthen each other as God strengthens us. Praying in community does not mean that we will all get beautiful green bikes, but it will renew our focus toward developing relationships, open us to change and build up the body of Christ. Our need for Christian fellowship is real.

Holy God, we seek your guidance in developing our faith. Help us to seek the gift of community and to know your presence among us. May we discover the value of our time together as we come to dwell in your house of prayer. Amen.

Judith Kelley is associate pastor of Christian education at Moorings Presbyterian Church in Naples, Florida.

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