Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to officiate at a couple of weddings. I love doing weddings! One of the highlights for me is watching how the family and friends interact with each other, and with the bride and groom.
During the ceremony, in addition to the customary “will you have this man/woman to be your husband/wife” part, I like to ask the guests of the couple if they will pledge themselves to be Community-makers for the couple. God created us to live in community, and the upside of community is huge.
We are created to love and be loved. Community gives us a vehicle and a platform for loving. We are called to serve–to encourage and bless, to give and receive help, to stir up one another to love and good deeds. God uses other people to correct us when we need it, and to comfort us when we hurt. Even those people who rub us the wrong way can help identify areas in our lives where we need to grow.
God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” To solve this problem, God created a woman for the man, a paraclete, which means helper or advocate. In most places in the Bible, this word is used to refer to the Holy Spirit. But in Genesis 2, God uses this word to describe the woman. God solves the “I’m all alone” problem by giving the man community. In Psalm 68, God is said to set the lonely in families. It’s pretty clear that community is God’s idea, and that he has a plan for us to live in community.
We spent this evening doing what we do–partying with friends. Our lifegroup (community) meets on Wednesday nights. Tonight we had a cookout at the Sublett Ranch, and invited a bunch of other friends to join our lifegroup to experience community. There was no sermon, no songs, no agenda other than enjoying the company of friends. We ate some food and spent the evening playing and talking. At one point in the evening I stepped back to observe all the little sub-groups that had formed. Some folks were talking about sports, others were discussing their children or vacations, while others were deeply engaged in talking about what they were reading and learning.
Community–a gathering of friends who are committed to doing life together, learning and growing together, serving alongside each other, and experiencing the presence of God in the process.
Where do you find community? It might be as close as your own backyard.
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