Being the church

"All the Lord's followers often met together, and they shared everything they had.  They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever needed it.  Day after day they met together in the temple.  They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, while praising God.  Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved."  -Acts 2:44-47

Here in Kenya, when a family or community is in need, they hold something called a "harambee."  Americans may recognize the word as the name of a gorilla that died in a zoo last year, but it's actually a Swahili word that means pulling together and caring for each other.  In a harambee, everyone comes together and gives what they can.  When each person gives a little, the community can help the community or family to pay for the funeral, the school, the hospital bill, the local water project.

Harambee reminds me of the early church as described in Acts 2.  People coming together to care for one another and praising God.  And sometimes I wonder what it would look like if the American church had some more of that.

But I realize there's already quite a bit of it happening around me.  Here, it looks like a 20-something going on multiple short-term mission trips to Kenya despite not being able to pay for them myself.  It looks like multiple people spending countless hours working out the details when God called me to full-time ministry in Kenya.  It looks like coming home for a visit and not worrying about where I'll stay or what I'll eat.  It looks like meeting weekly at a friend's house with a delicious potluck lunch, but no one is required to bring anything if they're not able to.  It looks like dozens of people with whom I'd feel completely comfortable joining at their homes for dinner.  It looks like friends in Kenya offering to put me in contact with their family members in the US, in case I ever need anything.  It looks like my best friend working tirelessly (actually, I think she's getting pretty tired) to clean out a room for me in her house.  It looks like a friend making a list of what I'll need when I get there even before I do, and making sure I'll have those things when I get to the US.  It looks like messages of encouragement from people I've never met, but who are part of my church.

We don't look exactly like the first century church did--no one has offered to sell a house to help me out yet--but it's clear that there's still a lot of caring for each other going on in the 21st century church.  I can't believe how fortunate I've been to find so many Christians who'll care for each other no matter where I go in the world.  May we continue to find opportunities to break bread and share freely with one another, and may the Lord continue to add to our family.