Autumn Fires
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
-Acts 2:42-47
A few Christmases ago, I bought Rachael a portable firepit and an outdoor projector, and they have become two of our favorite things to bring out each fall.
The weather from October through December is just about perfect for an outdoor movie around a fire, and it has become one of our favorite ways to spend time with friends after the seasons change. I mean, inviting people over for homemade chili and s’mores while the kids run around and Hocus Pocus plays in the background is pretty much peak fall for us.
Maybe it is the cooler weather pushing us a little closer together. Maybe it is the fact that food tastes better outside when there is a fire involved. Autumn just seems to be a season made for gathering.
And gathering is something the church ought to be particularly good at.
The picture Luke gives us of the early church in Acts is striking because so much of their life together is exactly that: together. They worship together. They pray together. They eat together. They share what they have. They notice when someone among them is in need and do something about it.
Their faith wasn't confined to an hour of worship. It spilled over into dinner tables and homes and friendships and ordinary days.
That kind of community doesn't happen accidentally. It happens when somebody sets another place at the table. It happens when someone introduces themselves to the person they don't recognize. It happens when we linger long enough to have a conversation instead of rushing home. It happens when we decide that our lives have room in them for other people.
Over the next few weeks, our Pumpkin Patch will give us one of the best opportunities we have all year to practice that kind of gathering.
The Patch is also a place where hundreds of our neighbors will walk onto our church property. Families will take pictures and hunt for the perfect pumpkin. People who may never come through our sanctuary doors will spend time with us.
And we get the chance simply to welcome them.
So, yes, this is another not-so-subtle reminder to sign up for a Pumpkin Patch shift. But more than that, it is an invitation to help us do something the church has been doing since its earliest days:
Make room for others.
Rev. Ryan Young
