The (comm)unity of the KingdomEmily Spicer - 14 Oct 2016

“A community with a common purpose were breeding the unity the Church longs for…”

This summer, Emily took part in one of our 24-7 Prayer Mission Teams in the Camino de Santiago - one of the most famous pilgrimages in the world.

As well as serving and praying, she was able to walk part of the route with other pilgrims and here, she shares one of her experiences: 

"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!"

- Psalm 133:1

We often talk about disunity in the church or in the world. We look at our fractures and disagreements, and often wonder how things could be improved.

But how often do we celebrate the beautiful examples of unity we see around us?

As I walked part of the Camino de Santiago this summer, with throngs of other pilgrims from all over the world, it struck me that perhaps unity best springs out of community. That community - living life alongside one another, walking in the same direction – naturally binds us and unifies us.

One day, I was walking 25km of the Camino alone and came across a group of Spanish teenage boys surrounding an elderly French lady – we'll call her Pasqueline - trying (and failing) to communicate. A strong Catholic and a hardy soul, she had already been walking for two months on behalf of a sick friend unable to make the journey herself. Overhearing snippets of broken conversation (and being a bit of a language nerd) I stopped – translated - and went on my way.

It’s amazing how community can spark unlikely friendships.

Several hours later I was navigating a particularly steep, rocky patch of terrain. Looking up, I spotted Pasqueline with a Spanish sixteen year old on each arm, being helped on her way. As we came out onto a flatter piece of road she looked back and spotted me. 'Ah,' she said, 'the French speaker. We need your help.'

The boys – we'll call them Luis and Javier - wanted me to translate a song from Spanish to French. As they sang, I was moved -  It spoke of God's provision for her, Pasqueline, on the journey. As I translated using my faltering Spanish to communicate between them, I felt a strange, warm joy at being part of this network.

In this place, languages, nations, generations or gender were not divides, but were being intertwined. Instead, a community with a common purpose – completing the pilgrimage – were breeding the unity that the church longs for.

Pasqueline, Luis, Javier, and I walked the final stretch of the day together, and as we arrived to our rest place, I thanked God for that beautiful glimpse of what His kingdom on earth might look like.

This was just one example. I saw an American and Czech tattooed twenty-somethings playing guitar together. Argentinians and Italians gave me chocolate when I was hungry. My water bottle was once filled by a Frenchman who thought I might be thirsty.

Let us pray and seek for greater unity in the church. But let's also celebrate the community God has already called us into, and enjoy the glimpses of His kingdom He gives us through it.

If you would like to be part of a 24-7 Mission team next summer, the first 2017 teams have just been released! Head to 24-7prayer.com/mission-teams