Lessons of Community, by Pastor Rebecca



A view of the main Montreat buildings and Lake Susan from the top of Lookout Mountain.

It was a wonderful week for me at Montreat. I love attending events with our youth that are run by other people, giving me the chance to simply focus on them rather than the next thing that needs to be done.

In the Stepping Stones class on Sunday, I shared a story with the group about our trip that especially connected with our conversations about who we are as a congregation and Paul’s guidance on being the body of Christ. In particular our conversations focused on who is the greater and who is the lesser member of the body.

Sarah Linnen blogged during our trip about the day that we climbed up Lookout Mountain and the ways she encountered God on our trip. I too had a few epiphanies on that climb (and the one we did the next day) but I encountered God not in the beauty of nature but in the beauty of the Body of Christ.

We climbed Lookout Mountain on Thursday morning, and were all a little taken aback by the steepness of the hill and the beauty of the landscape all around us. I appreciated so much their enthusiasm for taking on such a physically challenging feat, and was especially impressed with those who through their struggles up the mountain were determined to get to the top.

We had a very meaningful time at the top of the mountain – literally and spiritually we all had a mountaintop experience. They talk about Montreat being a “thin place” where heaven and earth meet. I am certain that God was with us on that mountain.

It was not until we were ready to head down the mountain that the trouble started. During the entire journey, I kept asking the boys to be more careful and mindful of their energetic means of getting up and down the mountain, reminding them that they were the strongest and needed to stay healthy so they could help get the rest of us down the mountain if something were to happen.

Wouldn’t you know, about half way down the mountain Holly twisted her ankle and though she tried to continue on her own,  JT, Andy and Billy carried her tiny frame down the mountain on their backs. While they had to switch off frequently, this was a perfect example of how in a community the stronger help the weaker and by doing so we are all built up as the body of Christ.

We all kept moving down the mountain (much faster than we had climbed,) and it was when we were almost at the bottom that the word was passed up that Jennifer had twisted her ankle as well, but by the time I got to the trail head she was at the car and they told me that it was pretty close to the bottom when she had gotten hurt. A couple of hours, two doses of Advil, some elevation and ice packs later both girls were on their way to recovery.

The next morning I agreed to climb the mountain one more time, earlier in the day, so that we could watch the sunrise over the mountains. I met up with Kate and Sarah at 5:45 a.m. and the three of us took off coffee, water, and granola bars in hand. It was again a beautiful moment on the top of the mountain, and I am so glad that I took the second trip up with them that morning, but the most profound moment for me happened towards the bottom of the mountain.

As we started our walk over high steps and gnarled roots Sarah pointed out to me the difficult spots where she had carried Jennifer down the mountain.  Now if you know Sarah just by seeing her around the church, you mostly know that she is very little. (Owen once asked her if she was a regular size person.) If you know her well you know that she plays rugby and is a pretty tough cookie. You might also know that just this spring Sarah had knee surgery from a rugby accident and wore a brace for a good portion of this spring.

It was in that moment, and reflecting on Paul’s words this Sunday that I was reminded that it is not always clear who are the weak and who are the strong, who are the greater members and who are the lesser. This spring when Sarah had just hurt herself, we went on a Senior High retreat and all of the youth helped her get what she needed and to make her comfortable. In that moment Sarah was the one in need of being carried. On that mountain it was Jennifer and Holly. Some day it will be JT, Andy and Billy.

This is what it means to be the Body of Christ, and I am so thankful that I had the chance to witness their care for each other. That Thursday morning when we first climbed the mountain, we were gone so long that we missed the morning Keynote address. The theme for the day was community – we may have missed the talk but we all learned the lesson.