Catechism: Social Media & My CommunitySample

Most standard desktop backgrounds are pictures of nature. From blue skies and sandy beaches to majestic mountains and dramatic sunsets, it’s pretty ironic that while we work indoors, plugging away at our assignments, an image of the great outdoors lies in the background. 

Why did software designers choose those pictures? It’s because we all benefit from looking up from our current circumstances and looking ahead to something different. 

While minimizing your spreadsheet to reveal a picture of a sunrise might offer only momentary relief, we can apply the concept to our Christian communities; a glimpse of what’s coming can give us the momentum we need to persevere, even when we feel discouraged or hopeless. 

Think of what you’re about to read as a beautiful image of what awaits us in heaven: While our current communities are far from perfect, a perfect community awaits us! 

Read Revelation 7:9-17

Reflection Questions:

1. What detail of this passage makes you most excited for heaven? How can remembering these future promises help you in your present circumstances?
2. Have you ever been disappointed by a fellow believer or experienced hurt in a Christian community? How did that experience affect your view of the church? How does this glimpse of our heavenly community give you hope? 
3. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” While our earthly communities will never be perfect, we can be part of bringing them more in line with how they will be in heaven. What can you start doing now in your community to make it resemble what God promises it will be like in the future?