Gratitude in Community

Wednesday May, 14 2025

Scripture: Acts 1:12–26
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring what it means to live lives shaped by gratitude. Today, we reflect on gratitude in community and how thankfulness strengthens the body of Christ, and how it binds us together, especially in times of uncertainty. Stephen Colbert, a man more known for his wit than his theology said “It’s a gift to exist, and with existence comes suffering… but if you are grateful for your life, then you have to be grateful for all of it.” He wasn’t saying suffering is good, he was just saying that even through pain, there is sacred ground and that gratitude can emerge through suffering. And it’s in that space of sorrow mixed with grace where we find community. It’s a disciplined kind of gratitude, kind that the disciples lived after Jesus ascended into heaven. They didn’t go back to their old lives. They came together. In their grief, in their confusion, in their waiting… they gathered. In Acts 1 we see a community making decisions in faith, unsure of what’s next but knowing that they were better together. It wasn’t a perfect community, but it was a grateful one. Friends, I am grateful for my community. For the love, support, and spiritual guidance I have received here. This church has been a place of healing and growth in my life. To be honest, ministry here hasn’t always been easy. There have been times of misunderstanding, even judgment.
But even in that, I’ve learned to be grateful because God has used the hard things to humble me, to deepen my compassion, and to strengthen my calling to love all Community is not just Sunday mornings. It’s checking in, praying for one another, serving side-by-side, growing together throughout the week. When we join together constantly, we’re not just building a moment, we’re building a movement. We’re building a community of grace, love, and accountability. And a grateful heart draws us toward each other not away. After Jesus ascended, the disciples didn’t scatter they drew closer. Verse 14 says,  “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” This is a radically inclusive moment for 33 AD. Men and women. Jesus’ family. Disciples who had once scattered, now joined in unity.

Consider This:

• Gratitude has a way of making space for others, even for people we don’t fully understand.
• Gratitude invites curiosity instead of criticism.
• In a divided world, gratitude builds bridges.
  
  

Prayer:
God of unity and grace, thank You for the gift of community.
Help us to live lives of gratitude—not just alone, but together.
Teach us to join together constantly in prayer, in love, and in purpose.
May our thankfulness overflow in how we treat one another.
Let our unity be our witness, and may Grace UMC be a light of love in this world.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.