Community: On Purpose

"Community" CC BY-NC 2.0 by Thomas Hawk. Flickr

            Monday morning a friend emailed me: "I bet I know what you are doing next Sunday afternoon. Should be fun!"

            My under-caffeinated self quickly checked the calendar to find it empty. What had I forgotten?? Said friend just laughed when I asked her to elaborate - knowing I'm a sports fan, with deep roots in both Winnipeg and Hamilton, she logically surmised that the Grey Cup would be a BIG THING at the rectory. (Much to the dismay of most of my Hamilton and Winnipeg friends/family, I don't watch/follow North American football.)

            How lovely, though, to be thought of that way: to have someone care enough to reach out with kindness! The question really had little to do with football, and everything to do with connection. She knows about my hobbies, she knows about my roots, she knows me well enough to feel comfortable to send a quick note - even about football (which is not her preference, either!). It's lovely.

            It's part of being in Christian community; to care about one another and to take interest in each other. This relationship-building is how we get to know one another with depth and intentionality; so that we can be attentive to what is going on with each other.  And while comments like "I don't watch hockey, but I'm following how the [Winnipeg] Jets are doing" give a warm fuzzy, they also indicate a desire to connect. Not just at a level of sports and hobbies, but of who we are in the body of Christ.

            This is an intentional building up of the body so that we can be present in times of joy and sadness, in celebration and in difficulty. It's the foundation of knowing one another well enough to meet each other where we are, to be aware of opportunity to engage with each other's health of mind, body, and spirit. It's the root of communion: of making ourselves open to each other trusting that we are receiving the same level of companionship.

            So whatever our passtimes and passions, it is a gift to be known by others and to be know others, that we can respond in loving service to the body of Christ.