The Joy of a Crowd
My baby brother came for a visit to celebrate his birthday, and as is the yearly tradition, we went to a local haunted attraction. And it couldn’t have been a more ideal evening to do so! The weather had that perfect fall crispness, not too warm and not too chilly. And being a Friday night on the weekend before Halloween, the place was brimming with youthful energy, not too crowded but not too deserted either. And that is a key component.
My brother and I often remark how a healthy-sized crowd is part of the experience. It wouldn’t be nearly as fun to attend an event such as this with no one around to share it with, any more than we would enjoy going to an amusement park that was empty. Sure, it sounds ideal to just walk right onto any ride without waiting in line, but something would be missing if there were no exuberant screams of other riders to help build anticipation and excitement for the experience.
Why is it that our ability to have fun often relies so heavily on the need for others to be present? I really believe God made it that way. He made us to desire and enjoy community. And just like an amusement park or even a sporting event, I believe our faith is not nearly as exciting when we experience it alone.
Yet so many choose to isolate themselves and I think they are missing out on the greater experience God had in mind when he established His church. Our faith is something that’s meant to be enjoyed as a community to build us up and build anticipation for eternity, which is not easy, or even fun, to do alone. So just like waiting in line for a haunted attraction and hearing people talking and laughing around me makes the experience more pleasurable, so does the fellowship that comes from doing life with other believers make life more pleasurable.
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11)
