together

I'm not sure if I can think of anything more precious, more biblical, or more a picture of what heaven's going to be like than community.

Funny, the way it sort of sneaks up on you. It doesn't always make itself known until you leave it for awhile, or you come back and are suddenly enveloped by it, or you have a rare slow moment in life when you become momentarily aware that you are loved by some really awesome people.

That's exactly how I would define it - community is a group of people commissioned by the Lord to love one another and to pursue something together. And you know what I adore most about that definition? The commissioned by the Lord part, the part that is supernatural, bigger than ourselves. We don't often get to choose the communities we end up in. Sure, you can pick one church over another, one city to live in over a different one, but even then - it seems you never quite know who is going to be placed in your life or what kind of purpose you'll chase after together.

The idea of community as a union of people living life together for a common purpose is not new by any means. In Genesis, God grants Noah and his family the responsibility of creating a fresh community on earth following the flood. In Ezra, God stirs the hearts of entire community groups to go to Jerusalem and rebuild His temple. In Acts, we see the development of an organized church, a community of people living lives of faith together. All throughout the New Testament, Jesus binds together a community of disciples as he heals people, gets to know them, breaks bread with them, loves them. In Revelation, we see a community of heavenly creatures, spending eternity together with the common purpose of praising God continuously.

What a treasure, that we are not meant to live alone, or even accomplish things alone, but that we are given these crazy, unexpected, wonderful things to do with our lives as we run forward together.

Perhaps one of the things that makes me ache the most for this world (or at least what I've seen in this country) is our idea that we don't need one another, that we should take care of ourselves. And yet, the more I get to know Christ, the more I am led to believe that this isn't how God intends for our lives to work. It seems to me that God desires to bless us by pushing us forward to unity, by working through our relationships, by stirring us to encourage one another and give up our things and our stubborn ideas and our lives even for the sake of loving. Sure, God could do whatever kind of work He wants in us all by Himself, but wouldn't we miss out on some awesome blessings if we refused community?

In his book, The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne talks about a new "spiritual economy" based on community. He says "the reality [of the divine] is realized only when we allow ourselves to be dependent on God and live in radical interdependence with one another." And it makes sense. Jesus depended on the hospitality of the communities he spent time with. He depended on his friends not only for fellowship, but for basic necessities. It makes me wonder...what implications does our world's inability to embrace a need for community have for the impoverished? Would life on earth look differently if we worked harder for unity? What needs would be met if we loved, genuinely, sacrificially loved the people in our communities because we knew and believed that God has commissioned us to do so?

I'm eager with an imagination that sees the world in a light of unity. What if we pray - pray big, enormous prayers, that communities would love one another well and care for one another, and that they would explode in size and in number? Maybe kids wouldn't starve to death so often. Maybe families wouldn't be broken so frequently. Maybe women would be reminded of their worth. Maybe people would have roofs over their heads. Maybe it starts with me and you, never giving up the chance to love or to be loved by the people we find ourselves running through life with.