Mostly humans do better when they belong to something. There is something healthy about being in relation to other people, although some solitude is also essential. A balance.
"Community is always poised between two poles: solitude and togetherness. Without togetherness community disperses; without solitude community collapses into a mass, a crowd" David Steindl-Rast
Gangs of Bristol, early 1970s
The families, clubs and associations we belong to shape us, and we shape them. Personally, I got used to things changing around a bit, as between the ages of five and eight I went to three different primary schools in three different countries, each with a markedly different culture. Following this was a stable three decades in NZ, in and around Howick and East Auckland. This stability was enhanced by school, football club, Boy's Brigade and church, which was a new thing for us. Change is inevitable, as time passes. Yet community and belonging remain strong necessities for human beings. Sometimes we believe this is not so, but we kid ourselves. A critical attribute for success in 21st century living and in church life, is the maintaining of community amid change. For Christians, particularly those in leadership, add to this an authentic discernment of what the gospel means in a changing context. God's word remains intact, but how will the Holy Spirit lead us to apply it? We have been significantly challenged by external factors in the last few years; the COVID pandemic and all its consequences, a war in Europe affecting commodity prices and the cost of living, adverse weather events and so on.
An important role of the church in these times is to rebuild, maintain, re-shape and continue to tell the stories of the faith community that belongs to Jesus through the activity of the Holy Spirit, activated and inspired by the biblical narrative. We are not immovable, but we should be constant in our desire to apply a faith perspective in a changing world. How are we doing with this? Let's renew our commitment to it in new ways, with the Easter story fresh in our minds and hearts.
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