Plugged into Community
“We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community." ~ Dorothy Day
Opening Prayer:
God of all nations, we invite you into this gathering. Jesus, we light this candle as a sign of your presence. Spirit of wisdom and understanding enlighten us. We pray that we keep our hearts and minds open to new ideas and that we may grow in our understanding of your ways. Amen.
Breaking the Ice:
- What are your first thoughts when someone says church?
- What has your experience been of the church?
Reflection:
The “long loneliness” names our deep human longing to be known, loved, and connected. Its antidote is not simply being around people but belonging to a community where we can share our lives, bear one another’s burdens, and make room for others. I experienced this during the summer of 2015, when I served a small church in Barnsley, England.
The congregation welcomed me so warmly that someone even accompanied me to the grocery store to help me find the right cream for my coffee—with no judgment, even though they all drank tea! It was a small gesture, but it told me that I was seen and that my needs mattered. I have also visited churches where the first words I heard were that I was sitting in someone else’s seat, or where no one bothered to say hello.
Those experiences remind me that welcome is more than friendliness; it is a way of telling someone, “There is room for you here.” When we plug into community, we discover that faith is not meant to be lived alone. In the church, Christ draws us from isolation into a household where every person has a place and a purpose. Community may not remove every lonely moment, but it reminds us that we do not walk through them by ourselves.
Wrestling with the Word: Read Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV) below.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God,20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-placefor God.
- Paul uses a few different ways to describe the church, which resonates most with you?
- How might you describe God’s love for the church? Why does church matter?
- Has it ever cost you something to be a part of the church?
- Look up the word cornerstone, how does this apply in the scripture? What are the implications to the church today?
Next Steps:
- What are some walls that need to be broken down in our lives so that we can be the church God calls us to be?
- What are the obstacles to community in the church?
- Where are you being called to join in Christ’s building of a holy temple?
Prayer for the Week:
Jesus our Cornerstone, we recognize that we need you to build the church. We want to put you first, to let your ways be the guiding force in our lives. We humbly set ourselves before you. Send your Holy Spirit to guide us. Amen.