- photo by Susan PageI love the account of the early Church community recorded in Acts 2: “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. All who believed were together and had all things in common. They were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. Daily they attended the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The Apostles Creed says that we believe in the communion of the saints, and the early Church was a brilliant portrait of that communion. This sounds surreal, especially during global unrest combined with a Western individualistic mindset. When I read about the early Church, it makes my heart ache.

So, what do we do with heartache? During COVID, I lamented my isolation, my singleness, and my inability to meet up with friends and family. Even though I am an introvert, I realized that isolation was not healthy on any level. I longed to draw closer to the heart of God, which I could partly do on my own. However, there is an aspect to growing in Christ which can only be satisfied within community. I have learned that growth comes from gathering with people of differing backgrounds, experiences and yes, even different faiths. It is thrilling to experience how others think, feel, and discover God.

I began looking for the good in others, even those with whom I disagreed, which was counter-intuitive to what was modelled during my childhood, and, in some respects, what was taught at church. Think about the freedom resulting from not being so tightly wound up in the belief that everyone needs to land on the same page. I wanted to be engaged with others in their search for the genuine thing, meaning an authentic interchange of thoughts and ideas. I longed to delve into the Word of God with other treasure seekers and learn from Him and them. I craved to discover more of my true self, that I am God’s beloved, but I also wanted others to help me develop the discipline of letting love and grace be the dominant voice in my life.

So, I prayed and asked God and then met with a friend who I discovered had a similar desire. We had re-connected after years of knowing one another which was truly a God-thing. As we prayed, we asked God to put the names of other women on our hearts that we should invite to our community. We called ourselves Treasure Seekers based on the verse found in Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord God of Israel, who summons you by name.” We began with a study called Life Together in Christ, Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton. We had women in different age categories. We had divorced, widows, single, married with kids at home and empty nesters. We had professionals, women in ministry, stay-at-home moms and retirees and we did not all attend the same church, and do you know what … it was incredible!

I was excited to delve into another study, inviting others to join. It was based on the book The Good and Beautiful Community by James Bryan Smith. I had studied this book with a dear friend while enjoying a week away at a cottage. Our friendship deepened with God and one another through this study which included quality time in God’s Word. I have a set of three books by James Bryan Smith and they are excellent. The Good and Beautiful God, The Good and Beautiful Life, and The Good and Beautiful Community. He has written a fourth in the series called The Good and Beautiful You.

When we think of the results seen within the community of the early Church, shouldn’t we long for that? The people were together, sharing and doing life in community. They gave glory to God and were well-liked by their neighbours. The fruit of that growth was the daily conversion of new souls! It makes me think of a beautiful song The Body of Christ by Geoff Moore.

Growth will come to us and the Church when we live into our shared identity in Christ Jesus and show others our love and care for one another and the world. We can grow together in Christ through the authentic sharing of Scripture and our hearts. I pray that God will increase our growth as we lean in and learn from Him and together may we be known as a good and beautiful community.

Susan Page is the daughter of the King, His beloved child, wonderfully forgiven and blessed! Susan longs to age gracefully, becoming more like Jesus as she seeks the hidden treasures revealed to her through Scripture, literature, the arts, humankind, and nature.