You could say I’m a big fan of coffee, or really any sugary, caffeinated beverage I can sip over ice. More recently, I’ve been enjoying a good iced chai, particularly since I’m a ‘tummy hurty’ kind of girl when it comes to coffee. I find enjoyment in the ritual of making tea or coffee, but I also love the community that so often comes with it. The opportunity to catch up with friends over a tasty beverage is something I deeply cherish. I’ve laughed, cried, had serious conversations and silly ones, and more recently had the opportunity to study Scripture, iced latte in hand.
A year or more ago, I began meeting with my best friend, Olivia, on Saturday mornings to Bible Journal together. It came as a part of establishing healthier rhythms of work and rest and feeling the need to spend more time sitting with a particular Scripture, not feeling rushed to get to the office or be on to the next thing. I had begun to think more about Sabbath and my need to establish a day to set aside work and make time to slow down, practice stillness, and worship the Father.
Our Saturday morning Bible journaling takes place most often in a coffee shop. Sometimes, we’re both studying the same book of the Bible together and other times, we are doing our own thing, occasionally talking about what we’re studying. It’s incredible how the Spirit of God is constantly revealing new things in Scriptures that I’ve read what feels like a million times. Whatever we’re studying or reading, we’re doing it in community. A Scripture that comes to mind is Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-23:
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
John 17:20-23
Jesus prayed that we would be united just as Jesus was united with the Father. Reading John’s gospel reminds me that as we walk in community, we are mirroring the relationship of the Trinity. We also see this highlighted in the early church in Acts 2. It is recounted that All the believers were together and had everything in common and that They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts (Acts 2:44, 46).
Saturday mornings aren’t just about coffee. They’re about being in community and talking about the things of God together. Sometimes, it’s expressing frustration about a text we’re trying to understand, and other times, it’s about the awe we experience as we see Scripture as one big story with God’s fingerprints woven throughout. It is in community that we grow stronger in our faith.
When you allow God’s people into the messiest and most beautiful parts of your life, you’re practicing community. It’s messy, it’s inconvenient at times, and it’s also incredibly beautiful and edifying. With a packed schedule, intentional time in community or experiencing rest with God can feel daunting. Community may look like a small group, sitting on a park bench with a friend while the kids play, or Saturday morning coffee with a friend, but in the last year, I’ve learned that it’s always worth it.
Do you want to be a part of a God community? Today is the perfect day to start.
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