The Blessing of Christian Brethren (and Sistren)
One year ago, I had the privilege of visiting Swiss L’Abri for a couple of weeks in the Alps of Switzerland. While there, I experienced a taste of intentional community living and several fascinating, in-depth conversations about the big questions of life and faith. I was also asked by my hosts what they ask all their visitors: What question did you bring with you here? It took me some time to uncover the question I carried…but soon it became clear: I feel convicted to follow the example of Jesus, but I don’t know what that looks like for my life day-to-day, and moreover I don’t want to feel alone in this pursuit.
Coming back from that experience, in the midst some big decisions—such as moving back to the States from Europe and which state to move to—a friend texted me a snapshot of an advertisement for The Good Neighbor Fellowship, which promised to “equip [young professionals] to pursue transformation and flourishing in their own lives, communities, and workplaces by following the way of Jesus.” Could this be exactly what I was hoping, searching, and praying for?
Indeed, the Good Neighbor Fellowship has been an answer to prayer for me in even more ways than I anticipated. We’ve become a fellowship of believers together wrestling through the same questions. We’ve encouraged one another in seeking to love God and our neighbors in heart and in practice. We’ve supported one another as we each go out to serve our larger communities. We’ve received cherished hospitality and been inspired to demonstrate it likewise. We have been true fellows along this journey together, sharing our joys and struggles, so that none of us need walk this road alone. In this way, I’ve encountered the kind of Christian community that I’d been yearning for so long.
The journey of faith through this life is surely impossible without the work of Christ and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. But it also sure feels a lot harder without having Christian brothers and sisters by one’s side.
While at L’Abri, I read some of Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. Here—while far-flung, living in France, now visiting Switzerland, quite alone, and feeling intense spiritual loneliness—I read these words of a man facing far more trying times:
“It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us…Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.”
And so I rejoice with the Psalmist: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (133:1). I treasure this time of fellowship with my Christian brethren (and sistren). What a true blessing it is!
Laura is a teacher who believes in the power of language and good books. It’s her passion to increase access to these things through literacy and language education. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys writing, reading, hiking, and exploring new crafts and skills. She also loves traveling, spending time with friends, and getting way too competitive while playing games. She hails from Atlanta, Georgia and does not like coffee (sorry).
