Acts 14:19b-20
They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and entered the city.
One of my favorite plot devices in movies is the assembling of a team. I think Ocean's 11 did it best, but Lord of the Rings comes a close second for me. There is something so clever and inspiring about what each individual brings to the group and how the group as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
In today's reading from Acts, we see the group coming to the rescue of one of its parts. Paul isn't just nursing a black eye; the people who stoned him thought he was dead. He must've been in pretty bad shape. But then his team members gather around him and his strength returns and he heads back into the lion's den, ready to carry on to the next mission field.
I don't think this detail was included by accident. We are called to work together as a community - for the good of each other and the Kingdom. We are stronger together and when our strength or resolve is failing, that's when we can rely on the group to carry the load.
Let's take this lesson into our friendships, our families and our faith communities. Celebrate the groups you are part of. Tell "your people" you appreciate them. And if you are not a member at a local church, start your search - I'm sure you will be blessed and who knows, you might just be the member of the team they have been searching for!
