Clay in the Hands

Last Friday, our community celebrated together.  One of the streets downtown was closed off, tents were set up and food was served.  People were everywhere.  It was a wonderful experience complete with a strong sense of community.

The occasion?  The beginning of football season.  Our school mascot is the wildcat.  So the event was appropriately titled, “Meet the Wildcats.”

Now there is a lot I could say about the over-emphasis on sports in our community – I mean, we don’t get together and celebrate the band students or the high academic achievements of our students – not that these things aren’t celebrated, but we don’t close a street and make it a community event.

I could talk about that but that is not what is on my heart today.  The point I want to make is how wonderful it was to experience that sense of community.  People were friendly and encouraging.  We enjoyed good food and had a great time just being together as a town.  It was moving.

As I have reflected on that day, I have been reminded that God created us for community.  We are wired for relationships – both with God and with one another.  And the best place to grow our relationships is in a safe and welcoming place filled with honest and transparent people who want the same things.

The only place I know of that fits that description is church.  I am not saying the church is filled with perfect, saintly people who have it all together.  In fact, it is somewhat the opposite.  The church should be a place filled with people who are willing to be transparent and let others know they aren’t perfect and they don’t have it all together.

If we had it all together with no problems and no needs, then why would we even need church?

The thing is, we all need community and the reality is we all need church.  As long as people remain imperfect, there will always be a need for church.  And no one will attain perfection in this life.

All that to say, we all need relationships – we were created that way.  We all need community.  And the best place to find it is at church.

If you aren’t involved in a church, find one in your area and get plugged in.  Just give it a try – what have you got to lose?