"And They Had All Things In Common...."

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

Tonight was a spectacular night. A few friends and I were invited to a spur of the moment worship night in the home of complete strangers, and so, of course, we went. Not knowing anyone else there or what to expect once we arrived, we filed into the basement where the group of about 15 college kids sat in a circle with a few guitars and an i-pod. The group was diverse and unfamiliar, but we all had one thing in common: a love for Jesus. One of the guys spoke up and said that Jesus told him to have a worship night to "re-focus and de-stress" during finals week. And am I ever glad He did.
The night wasn't anything fancy. It didn't take a team of professional event planners to put together. There were no lights, no slideshows, no dramas. Just Jesus and kids who were hungry to worship him together. We prayed for unity among the campus ministries and for Christ to use us as agents for His change. We prayed over each other. We prayed for focus during finals. We saw healing. We sang out to God, lifting our voices and our hands to Him in chilling reverence. It was beautiful.
As I sat on the floor, eyes closed, heart raised to God, I couldn't help but picture the early church. They were a small group, much like we were, but they "had all things in common". I realized that this is how it should be. In Christ, total strangers can be drawn together out of the blue and leave, after mere hours, completely changed and knit together. The beauty of Christianity is the community we have to encourage, teach and worship with us. Tonight we embraced that gift, and it was beautiful, for Christ truly was there with us.