By this point you are probably taking down the garland, wrapping the lights into bundles to tuck away for another eleven months, and making returns of gifts that for one reason or another, didn't quite fit. Christmas is a time filled with traditions for most of us, times to recall the "true meanings" behind these traditions. They all seem a bit strange to me these days after being a part of a church that is so, well, not traditional. Yet I struggle, because despite my love for City Church and our mission of reaching Tallahassee with the Gospel, there is still a place in my heart that longs for the traditions of a small town church where families who have known each other for years, whose kids play in the neighborhood together, and who call each other just to catch up, gather to celebrate the incarnation of Christ as a community of believers. By God's grace I found over the past few years that these two ideas of a tight knit church body and a huge mission for the Gospel were not opposing ideas. I realized this year that often when people say they prefer a traditional style of church, what they really long for is a sense of community. This is one of the greatest effects of traditions, they unite people with a commonality that transcends themselves. So my mind got to thinking, what if in 2012 I started a new tradition? What if instead of taking all the baggage that goes along with previous traditions that exist only for religion and not the gospel, I created a new tradition of community in my life based on Jesus.

Of course this "new tradition" isn't all that new. Constantly throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God gives the gift of community to his people. First by creating the nation of Israel to be his people and later in the form of the Church. We as the Church of Jesus Christ are called to be a united body who gathers together frequently. The Biblical term used for this body is family. Not friends, but family. We as a church are called to rely on each other as if we were related by blood. In fact, we as Christians have more in common with each other than even our own biological families. To be a Christian requires that we be part of this community called the Church. This is the model God sets for us in the Creation narrative in the first chapter of Genesis. We are told that God has existed eternally in the form of the Trinity, that is the three persons of one God. God is at his very core communal and has been since eternity. 

My "new tradition" of rediscovering community has roots in the creation of our universe. So in two thousand twelve, I'm on a mission to pursue this tradition of community; tying my life to others for my joy and God's glory. I urge you to join me. I promise, more importantly God proves to us in His word that while it maybe difficult at times, it will be worth it. 

(Matt is our Connections Intern here at City Church, and just graduated from Florida State University. Matt is engaged to his fiancé, Courtney Sengstock. The two plan to wed in May 2012. If you have any questions for Matt, you can reach him at lombardi@citychurchtallahassee.com).