There is something magical about this time of year. There is the changing of seasons yes, but that usually just gives me bronchitis. That being said though, there is this amazing cultural phenomenon that seems to take place all over this country right around Halloween. The football games are bigger, the celebration of trick-or-treating is anticipated in child-like fashion and it seems like people just want to get out and be together. It’s almost like we know the winter is upon us so we should cling to these final moments when we can get out and enjoy each others company before our long winter naps. Of course this latter statement is more true for parts some parts of the country versus others.

Last night was one of those wonderful moments for the people of Odessa First and myself. Our church hosted a fall festival and what made it so amazing was the synergy. Synergy is one of those fun buzzwords, but it was actually perfect for this event. Synergy is defined as “the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions”. And that’s what this was. Of course we had the season of year to lean on. We had inflatables and carnival games. We had volunteers galore. We even had a local food truck stop by (Let this be an official endorsement for The Pink Pig). But when all of these pieces came together…whoa! The feeling of community and the enjoyment just flowed out of all the pieces that came together.

One of the longest books in the Bible is the book of Psalms. But one of the shortest Psalms contained within is Psalm 133 “How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It’s like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, Flowing down Aaron’s beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes. It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion. Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.” – Psalm 133 When there is true community it is a sign of God’s blessing. Actually it is a sign of His highest blessing; the blessing for a priest. The blessing of life giving dew from God’s Holy city. And so I think about last night and what it means. When we come together as a church…even bigger, when we come together as a community, there God’s blessing abides. The smiles, the laughter, the joy, these are all signs of God’s blessing in our midst as we live out the call to community. The call to synergy. So may you embrace this season. May you find yourself at a festival, a football game or even on your doorstep for trick-or-treaters inviting community and seeing God’s blessing in your midst.