A friend of mine preaches about community as if that were the core of the gospel - and it didn’t take him long to convert me.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit - we were created in his image.  Man and wife - together reflecting God.  The tribe.  The nation.  These are concepts of unity and also of community.  Yahweh is one God, the only true God, sufficient unto himself, and yet he wanted a friend in Adam - why?  Something in His nature treasures relationship.  Something about the nature of Love needs to be shared.  Something in the nature of God demands creation and procreation. Thus, “be fruitful and multiply” is a command which resonates with the very heart of God and tells us what he is like.  And then there are those two great commandments- love God, love each other.  It’s essential to community. 

Practically, what does this look like?  What does it feel like?  Describing it to you might seem a bit like I’m trying to sell you something, but the fact of the matter is, Love is the bottom line.  Despite all the fascinating debates we could get into about doctrine, I can’t escape the mandate to love or the amazing miracle of being loved.  Love is essential and love creates community. 

So if we are people who love like God loves us, what will our communities look like and feel like?

We will be communities who:

welcome the outsider

adopt the unwanted child

pray for each other

open our homes

share our resources

mentor the young

seek wisdom from the elders

build deep friendship

invest time in each other

worship together

mourn with eachother

exhort eachother to great things

hold eachother accountable to the terms of Love

forgive eachother and live without unforgiveness

1 Peter 4:8
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”