The Life We Share
On Sunday, I kept using the phrase, “We’re a community of people, centered on Jesus, devoted to one another” to describe our church.
Each part of that phrase is important. And if we had hours together on Sunday mornings, I could probably keep us there all day just talking about that phrase. So, for a few minutes today, I want us to slow down and reflect on it.
Before we do, take a few minutes to read Acts 2:42–47. It gives us a picture of the church in Jerusalem following Pentecost. We see people learning, praying, worshipping, sharing meals, and taking care of one another. Following Jesus was shaping the life they shared.
And that’s what we’re learning to do together too.
We’re a community of people.
When we talk about Green Mountain Church, we’re talking about the people God has brought together here. Us. Our families. The people sitting beside us on Sunday mornings and opening the Bible with us on Thursday nights.
And we bring all of our lives with us.
Every week, I try to begin our worship gathering with a reminder that God doesn’t expect us to have had the perfect morning or week or year before showing up. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
We all have things we’re excited about, things we’re worried about, responsibilities we’re trying to manage, and questions we’re trying to work through. And being a community means there’s room for us to share those things together.
We get to know each other beyond a quick conversation or our 4 Minutes Together. We learn each other’s stories. We share meals, spend time together, and become part of each other’s lives.
That’s something we’ve watched happen here. People who barely knew each other a year ago now have friendships that reach into the rest of the week. We see each other around town. Our kids know each other. We know when someone is celebrating, and we celebrate together. We know when someone is hurting, and we hurt together.
And what we’re seeing here is Acts 2:46 in a nutshell. People brought together through Jesus are now gathering in their homes, sharing meals, and sharing everyday life.
God is giving us people to share life with. And He’s giving us the opportunity to be those people for someone else.
We’re centered on Jesus.
But what brings all of us together?
We come from different places, different backgrounds, and different experiences with church. Some of us have been following Jesus for years. Some of us are still trying to understand who He is.
At the center of this community is Jesus. We’re here because of Him, and we’re learning to follow Him together.
It’s not a coincidence that we all find ourselves around Chester, Vermont, in November 2026. God has brought us here, now, together. And we’re learning what it means to follow Him in this place with these people.
In Acts 2, we see the believers devoted to the apostles’ teaching and prayer. We see them praising God. Their shared life had a center and a direction.
Ours does too.
We study the Bible because we want to know Jesus. We pray because we need Him. We worship because of who He is and what He’s done for us.
And as we learn more about Him, that shapes how we treat one another. We learn to forgive because He’s forgiven us. We learn to show grace because He’s shown us grace. We learn to love people who are different from us because Jesus has loved us and brought us into His family.
We need people who will help us look toward Him. People who will pray with us, remind us of God’s goodness, and help us keep stepping in faith.
That’s the kind of community we want to be. It’s what we’re becoming and what we want to keep becoming. A community centered on Jesus.
We’re devoted to one another.
And as we follow Jesus together, we’re learning to give something of ourselves for one another.
Jesus gave Himself for us. He went to the cross for us and rose again to give us new life. The grace and forgiveness we’ve received came through His willingness to give Himself for our good.
As we grow in that love, we learn to love one another that way too.
Devotion means we’re willing to sacrifice something of ourselves to care for and serve one another. What’s happening in one person’s life begins to matter in the rest of our lives.
In Acts 2:44–45, we see that devotion taking shape. When someone had a need, other people used what they had to help.
We see it again in Acts 11:27–30. When the believers in Antioch learned about a coming famine, they decided to send help to believers in Judea. Each person contributed according to their ability. They heard about a need among other followers of Jesus and decided to help carry it.
And we’re seeing that kind of care here too.
I hear about prayer requests from people who are already praying. I hear about needs from people who are already helping. We remember something someone shared last week and ask how it’s going. We see someone having a hard time and check in.
Those things take attention. Sometimes they take sacrifices. We rearrange our plans or share something we were going to use for ourselves. We’re learning to make room in our lives for one another.
And sometimes we’re the ones who need that room.
It can be hard to let people know we’re struggling. Maybe we’re used to handling things ourselves. Maybe we’re embarrassed, or we’ve been hurt before, or we just don’t know how to ask.
We need God’s help with that too. Help to be honest. Help to receive care. And help to notice when someone among us needs an invitation, a conversation, or someone willing to take the first step.
We’re a community of people. We belong together.
We’re centered on Jesus. We’re learning to follow Him together.
We’re devoted to one another. We’re learning to care for the people He’s brought into our lives.
As we pray today, let’s pray through those three phrases. Thank God for the people He’s brought together here, for Jesus who gives this community its life and direction, and for the ways we’re already learning to care for one another.
Then let’s consider our own participation in that life together:
Community: Who could we get to know more deeply, and who might need us to make room for them?
Jesus: Where in our lives do we need His direction right now?
Devotion: What care could we offer this week, or what help do we need to let ourselves receive?
We’re still learning how to live this out. All of us. Let’s thank God for what He’s already done and ask God to keep helping us become this kind of church together.
