Focal verse
“Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10).
Reflection
As the sun set on an unusually warm spring day, our small town gathered for an evening of food, music and support. The street was closed off. Local stores and restaurants had donated food. Little kids ran around playing freeze tag. A live band performed, and young people danced in the street. One felt as if the whole town had turned out.
This was a time not just for fun but for sharing our love, resources and prayers with a member of the community. The gathering would benefit a local college student and her family as they dealt with unexpected expenses related to her treatment for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Throughout the event and afterward, I heard a common refrain: “Look at what a small town can do.” “We’re in this together.” “She won’t have to face cancer alone.”
I couldn’t help but see the community—the body of Christ—at its best that evening. There were no questions about who believed what or who had voted for whom. People saw a need and stepped up to offer their time and resources. They put hands and feet on what it means to love others.
In my home, we say our prayers out loud and light candles for those who need extra support. We attend worship weekly. We read Bible stories together. And, rolling up our sleeves, we show up for others in need. In this season of resurrection, I hope to teach my children that we live out our faith through the call to love our neighbors. When we exercise this muscle of care and compassion, we see not only our neighbors across the street but also those around the world as our siblings.
Easter is good news for all God’s people. What a gift we receive by caring for one another and proclaiming God’s presence as we love and serve others!
Practices
- Get to know your neighbors by inviting them for a picnic in your yard or a nearby park. Take time to invite both those close to you and those you may not know. You don’t need an agenda other than getting acquainted with each other and sharing a meal together.
- Read Paul Kerensa’s Mary and the Gardener (Beaming Books, 2025), then take some time to go outside and experience nature. Give thanks for the new life you see in the grass, flowers and trees.
Prayer practice
May is a month bursting with new colors and sounds. Step outside and take note of all you see and hear. Delight in the colors of petunias and irises. Feel the grass under your feet. Listen for different birdsong. Your attending to creation is a form of prayer. Share with each other what you notice and—just as God does—call it good.
