Covenant Community – It's Beauty Cannot Be Denied

We recently returned from a trip to visit my daughter and son in Virginia.  They’re members of an OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) there in Lynchburg.

Like the church I attend here in Idaho, I’m always struck by the beauty of a true Covenant Community.  Beauty is something that cannot be denied.  It’s not subjective - like encountering a striking outdoor scene, it’s beauty cannot be denied and it’s the same with a Covenant Community. Here are some of the specifics.

My daughter’s car had serious mechanical issues; more than could be handled easily by a member of the church but still several members had given it the once-over and then my son, Taylor, spent four days ripping it apart.  My daughter rents from a family who attend her church and the next-door neighbors are also members of her church as well as others who rent from them. They have a place in the back where they help each other with auto repair tasks.  We hung-out there during Taylor’s arduous repair-job; we drank a few beers and smoked pipes, all while we encouraged him.  Lot’s of kibitzing went on until Katie’s car was finally running like a dream.

We bowled a couple of times with their friends who took us in like we were one of their own.  I played tennis a couple of times with one of the members. We sat on the front porch several times and discussed politics, religion, guns and other assorted stories with the men of the church. We were invited to another member’s home for dinner and we invited a couple of families to my daughter’s (Katie) place for dinner.  We attended their church a couple of times. We attended an all-day picnic where we played basketball, volleyball and wiffle-ball.  They barbequed huge pork roasts for everyone and there was wonderful potluck food in abundance. We played cards on the porch in the evenings. The men I saw treated their wives with tenderness and the wives treated their husbands with respect. The children were well behaved and disciplined when necessary by both parents. There seemed to be no end to the fellowship. The beauty of their Covenant Community is beyond question. 

Truly the purpose of life is to fellowship with God and enjoy Him forever and a Covenant Community is the obvious extension of that purpose.

Now I’m back in my beautiful Idaho where my wife and I enjoy the same Covenant Community – just different people. Life is good.