It’s a Small World
It’s often said that once you enter the Cedarville University bubble, you never really leave it. For a small private Christian university located in the middle of no where in particular, it’s fairly common to meet alumni and faculty in every corner of the globe. This past March, my friend and I took our spring break trip to a sleepy little Floridian beach town. Low and behold, we ran into a family from the University in one of the small surf shops! Even just the other day in Nashville, I met a friend of one of the theology professors in a small country church. My alma mater may only have 4,000 enrolled undergraduate students, but the Yellow Jackets truly are everywhere.
ELLIV 2025: End of year student-body concert
That’s the beauty of living within Christian community. Jesus prays the following for us:
“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”
God gives us the privilege to live in community. We work together in the Great Commission and are able to recognize other believers in every corner of the world. As I’ve travelled across numerous different cultures, that much is clear. Our citizenship is now in God’s kingdom!
But, we need to be intentional about working together because, if you’re anything like my introverted self, things are a lot less draining when done alone. The sweetest memories, however, are often made when interacting with others. I remember the shopkeeper in Mallorca helping me pick the right pearl necklace, the waiter in Paris that offered me a free coffee and a kind word, or the laughs shared with my co-workers in Cedarville. Sure, I’ve had lots of fun adventures in my solitude, but the best parts are always from instances where I allowed other people into my life.
I cannot express to you what a breath of fresh air attending an English-speaking church in Seoul was. After months of living in Japan, always worshipping in Japanese, being able to sing worship once more in my native tongue stirred something deep within me. When in an environment that primarily uses a different language, your ear picks up your native language with great speed. The familiarity and ease of communication is comforting. Christian community functions in much the same way. No matter where you travel, there are open arms welcoming you into the local church body.
The love of Christ is on display, transcending social and cultural boundaries.
“That’s great and all, but I’m not in a foreign culture.” Oh, but you are, dear Christian! Just as Jesus was rejected by the world, so too are believers today to expect rejection. We are called to be in the world, yet not of it. So next time you meet a new co-worker or visiter at church, keep in mind that you function as the open arms that communicate the love of Christ here on Earth! What a mighty task indeed.