The power of a shared experience

It’s no secret that a shared experience brings people together and builds relationships. Boy Scout campouts, family vacations, missions trips, you get the idea. Shared experiences bond us together.

Too often our shared experience with Jesus is more like a bunch of separate cars going down the highway of life. We are all headed in the same direction, but with windows up, A/C on, and radio blaring our own favorite playlist. We are aware of other cars around us, not in relationship. When we stop at the same exit on Sundays to refuel we might stop to chat a bit. But then it’s back in the hermetically sealed SUV and “on the road again”.

What if our journey was more like an old school caravan? Everyone headed to the same destination, but some walking, some in wagons, others on horseback. We would be interacting along the way; maybe the kids would run ahead and jump on the wagon in front. We would be aware of who was lagging behind and who was out front. And at the end of the day we’d swap stories around the campfire.

Okay, maybe we can’t jump into the “Wayback Machine”, but is my idea mere sentimentalism? Or maybe we just have to work harder for such shared experiences. The early church had the idea of everyone walking through the scriptures together (the Lectionary) and walking though the life of Christ together (the Church Year). I think we have lost a lot in our individualistic spirituality. Yet our spiritual journey should be the main shared experience we have together!

I am hoping our Prodigal God study is one such shared experience. My vision is One Church – One Book (really One Chapter!). We are all reading together, meditating on Scripture together, receiving teaching together, and talking and discussing together. As we are all on the “same page” together, God will shape us by his grace together!

So I encourage you – on whatever level of participation you can – join together with your church family as we caravan through The Prodigal God together!

The well wisher of your soul’s happiness,
Pastor Tom