Fellowship

Last month was my 21st birthday. I thought it would be fun to have a big dinner thing at a pizza place. Elisa made reservations, I invited everyone I knew. The big day came, I arrived 15 minutes late to find a completely empty pizza hall. I don't know I've ever been so bummed out. No one was coming to my birthday. However, my sorrow quickly turned to joy as almost like clockwork people started pouring in. People began filing in one after another until almost the entire party room was full! There were a good 20 people in there to celebrate with me. To top it off I was surprised by a dear friend of mine from Paradise who had come up just for the night to be there for my birthday. I felt so special. No one had ever taken the time to make sure I had a birthday to remember. (Thanks Elisa!)
Towards the end of the night, I started getting tired from all the amazing pizza I had eaten. I was sitting in a corner digesting, just sort of enjoying the moment, when it dawned on me. I wasn't personally engaging anyone at the time, but it brought me so much pleasure to know that everyone in that room had gathered because they wanted to be with me. It was incredible. 20 people who loved me all coming together for no other reason than to love the fact that I was born.
I think this is very much how God is. When we gather in fellowship, we may not mention his name, or our relationship with him, yet there is something so powerful about believers coming together simply to exist in the presence of their savior. God delights in it. He sees his children coming together just to eat and celebrate, and his heart lightens. His face fills with joy, and his laugh begins to shake the universe.