Xanthe Hancox

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47

From the beginning, Christians have gathered together to eat and to celebrate. The early church gathered formally in the temple and informally in people's homes for fellowship. They gathered joyfully and sincerely, filled with gladness. There was laughter and song. And they did it not because they felt they should, but out of a desire to be with fellow believers.

It's also worth remembering that gathering as they did was risky. Just a few months earlier, Jesus had been brutally crucified. Now, his followers gathered together daily in the most public forum in the city under the watchful eyes of the same religious leaders who killed Jesus. In a matter of time, Peter and John (Acts 4) would be arrested and Stephen stoned (Acts 6 & 7).

Real Christian community, both then and now, is not a fad or trend. It’s a lasting community that persists despite wars or famine or anything else. Most of us who subscribe to Verse-a-Day don’t suffer the same risk of persecution as the early Church did, but our Christian communities are threatened all the same.

We blow off a Sunday service or a small group meeting because we’re busy and tired or because the laundry’s piling up or we’d rather do something else. Let’s commit ourselves to our Christian communities – breaking bread and praising God.

Prayer: Father, thank you for inviting us to break bread with you and with each other. Fill us and nourish us by your Spirit with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us build true fellowship within our churches. Amen