Summer is finally here. For students, it means freedom. No more class. No more homework, and no more responsibilities.

For those of us out of school, it means going through the same routines, but the only difference is now it’s hot.

One change during the summer is taking a break from community groups. When we had our last meeting as a group, I really began to think about groups and the importance of them.

I was digging in my Bible after our final meeting before break, and I stumbled upon a verse in Colossians 2, “I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.”

Well, I don’t know anything about knitting, but the verse still hit me at the perfect time.

In fact, I was blown away by how timely God can speak through His word.

Colossians was written by Paul to the Church of Colossae. We don’t know much about the Church of Colossae, but I doubt they had video teaching, gender studies, and fancy graphics to put on a screen.

What I do think they had was a community of people who got together (probably in homes), where they worshipped, fellowshipped, and prayed for each other. Sound familiar? This is exactly what we are doing when we meet with groups.

So, let’s assume Paul is talking to Grace Church community groups instead of the Colossians. God is speaking to Paul (who is in prison) to share the idea that we are supposed to be knit together by love. We can assume, if Paul thought it was important enough to share these ideas with the people of Colossae, then it’s vital we take hold of the same ideas.

Close your eyes and imagine a knitted blanket. Okay, now open your eyes. Could you see all the yarn intertwined? All of the material is combined to make something much bigger than just a single thread of yarn.

Just a single piece of the thread isn’t going to do much good. Would a little piece of yarn keep you warm? Probably not.

Love is what keeps us together. It’s what ties us and binds us with our groups. Without the love, those relationships will quickly unravel and we would be left with nothing but a tangled mess, which isn’t good for anything.

As we go through these summer months, while we aren’t meeting regularly, remember to love in ways that knit you together with others.

—Mitchel Jaynes, Grace Church Anderson