It seems like since Family Weekend, we’ve been seeing a lot in red, yellow, and green! A quick recap – red, yellow, and green relate to different parts of the brain as well as our emotional state. When we’re in green brain (neocortex), we feel relaxed and safe, and are able to think clearly. When we move to yellow brain (limbic) we are in a cautious mode. We feel uncomfortable and start functioning more emotionally, a good example being when we feel hangry. Red brain (brain stem) is when we’re in full panic mode. We often respond here with either flight, fight, or freeze.
As I was thinking about my own experiences at Family Weekend, I can see how the whole red, yellow, and green color scheme applies. I think times like Family Weekend give us a great opportunity to get into some green space. We’re able to get out of our normal routine to spend time with the church family and learn together. Whether it was during worship or just playing sports together, I think many of us felt like it was a green brain moment.
As I thought about this, a Bible verse came to mind from Acts 2:42 about the early church.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
I feel like we had a chance to do a bit of all those things at Family Weekend. We had teaching, fellowship, meals and Holy Communion, as well as worship and prayer.
One memorable moment for me was when we had the chance to be in pairs or groups to try out some of the tools we were learning about. For the group sessions, my group stayed in the main meeting hall with a few other groups. As I looked around the room, it seemed like God was really at work in all of our groups. As we shared with each other about our safe places, challenges in life, or experiences of grief, God was truly present.
In the Acts 2:42 verse above, the word for “fellowship” is the Greek term “koinónia.” While it is often translated as fellowship, partnership, or communion, there is a deeper sense of the word that I think is significant. Koinonia refers to the kind of relationship we have with others when God is right in the middle of it. It is time with others when we feel safe and secure, and can share about ourselves openly.
I think God’s intention for the church was always this kind of koinonia. It’s the kind of fellowship that goes beyond just being a social group and having friendly interactions. It’s about creating a truly green space, where people feel relaxed, safe, and welcome in the presence of God and one other. Looking around the room during our group sessions, I felt like we were sharing in that kind of koinonia. My prayer is that we would keep having that kind of fellowship with one another week after week, and even spread it to others.