This past weekend, I witnessed community in the spirit of Acts 2 and the practice of Acts 4. Neighbors worked together. Strangers delivered meals. Friends reunited after two weeks of not seeing each other. Then, on Sunday, Christians gathered to remember that God is God, no matter what the circumstances, and especially when we don’t have answers.
I spent this past weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hugging and loving on families that had lost almost all of their earthly possessions in the great flood of 2016. (For the Harry Potter fans, we are now referring to it as “the flood that must not be named” or Voldeflood.)
I had seen pictures on Facebook and heard snippets of stories before my arrival, but words are inadequate to describe the destruction and devastation caused by this flood. What has been described as a war zone can also be pictured as a levee of trash that mounds both sides of the road for miles, giving testimony to the waterlogged remnants of what used to be the contents, walls, and memories of the homes in hundreds of neighborhoods.
When tragedy strikes, we are forced to step up as a community in order to survive. My heart still hurts for those whose stories I heard this weekend—traumatic events that will forever mark their lives and the lives of the children.
However, I am more impacted by the countless stories of those who have been Christ, been family, and been a tremendous support to those in need. My fingers have rested on the keys of my keyboard, losing track of time, as I recall the details of stories, and the images of faces. I stutter-start countless stories, unable to choose just one or capture the spirit of all that has been happening.
Instead, I will echo the sentiment of Mark Hadley, preacher at the South Baton Rouge Church of Christ, as expressed this past Sunday, bragging on the body of Christ that has lived, breathed, and reenacted every aspect of the early church as described in Acts 2 and 4. I am so proud to call that my home church and my “Antioch,” to which I always return.
If you need an example of community, or are seeking an opportunity to live out community in a tangible way, feel free to partner with the South Baton Rouge Church of Christ and all God is doing through them and other organizations in the area (www.sbrcc.org).
And if you do nothing else, please pray for the Baton Rouge and surrounding communities that have been so affected by this flood.
For another description of the situation, as written by someone else, published in the Washington Post.
But I would add that the 7th step is to pray.