There’s something about going through a challenging or difficult experience together that can’t be manufactured. If you talk to a veteran of any war about the guys he served with in combat, you’ll soon discover that there’s an almost inexplicable bond there. They’ve been in the trenches together. They’ve seen and heard and experienced things that only people who’ve been in war can relate to and understand. There’s a similar phenomena that occurs with people who have survived a disaster together. If you talk to people who were holed up in one of the local restaurants near the Twin Towers on 9-11, or if you chat with the people who were on the plane that landed in the Hudson recently, or listen to the stories of survivors of the Nazi death camps, you’ll see that they have a bond with others who went through that experience with them. There’s a common story there that only they know the full weight of. There’s a common experience there that binds them. There’s a common emotion that pervades those conversations.
But this bonding experience doesn’t just come with trauma and disaster. It can and often does accompany joyful experiences, too. Just ask those who remember the moment they heard that the Japanese surrendered in 1945. Ask the Obama supporters who attended his acceptance speech about the atmosphere in Chicago that night. Ask the Bear fans about who they were with on that glorious January day in 1986 – but please don’t ask us about that disappointing day in February of 2007. Ask high school students about their experience at CIY or their mission trip. In all of these you’ll hear it in their voices and see it in their eyes. There’s that common shared experience. And you’ll likely hear that common phrase: “You just had to be there.” There’s something powerful about sharing an experience that’s out-of-the-ordinary. There’s an almost mystical sense of bonding that occurs.
What if our small groups could create some shared experiences that bring with them the deep bonds, and then capitalize on them. What if our small groups went beyond gathering in a home and sharing some laughs and watching a DVD and eating some snacks? What if they went beyond social dates and football games and comfortable and casual encounters? What if our small groups served together in the trenches and really gave themselves something to talk about, something that when others hear them talking about it they have to say, “You just had to be there.” What if our small groups could create glimpses of the divine; sacred experiences for small group members that hint at the profound “others-centerdness” that Christ modeled for us? Obviously we don’t want to do this only. That would be exhausting and overwhelming. And we certainly don’t want to neglect the social gatherings and the more commonplace group study in the home – as those are sacred moments in themselves. What we’re talking about here is adding to them, about taking our studies to the next level with application and action. Creating experiences that put the lessons into practice and challenge us at our core, leading to life change and transformation.
What if our small groups served more regularly? What if your small group served more regularly? What might it do for your members? What might it do for you? What if your group served at the bread line, raked neighbors’ leaves, invited non-churched friends to a barbeque, visited patients in the hospital, dramatically read stories to nursing home residents, collected coats and toys for underprivileged kids…What if? The options are pretty endless. Admittedly, sometimes the costs are pretty steep. But then again, the rewards are usually pretty amazing. As we head into this next ministry year I’ll be challenging you to take your group to the next level in a variety of ways. One of those is with service experiences. I’ll be providing you with ideas for service opportunities at various times. And when I check in with you and your group members, I look forward to hearing you say, “You just had to be there.”
