I watch Survivor, the CBS TV series. The season which concluded this past Sunday evening was notable for the group dynamics. This season started with 20 or so people divided into ethnic groups: African American, Latin, Asian, and Caucasian. Over the 13 weeks those divisions broke down as people realized the need to work together. By mid-season there were four people - an African American woman, an Asian man., an Asian woman, and a Latin man - who had formed a working alliance that defeated a much stronger group of twice the size. The difference? Primarily it was the level of cooperation and trust. That foursome would not allow anyone or anything to divide them fro each other and it got them successfully to the end of the show.
Nothing can replace a friend! A movie is twice as funny when viewed in the company of a companion. A project does not seem half as difficult when an extra pair of hands is available. A walk in the evening is much more enjoyable when a friend walks with you sharing the time and conversing about life. Even worship takes on an entirely different dynamic at church compared to our private devotions. Sure I can sing, "How Great Thou Art" in my living room, alone, and the words are the same. But the song is much more majestic when lifted on the voices of a hundred people joined in praise of their God and the response of my soul is different, too. When a person becomes isolated, she is much more likely to have emotional and spiritual difficulties. Despair grows like a weed in the heart of the person who has withdrawn from others because of disappointment or pain. Sin flourishes when bitterness causes us to build walls of separation. We need each other. Having a friend is not just a luxury! Dr. Dan Allender writes: "Without human relationships to provide us with encouragement and home, the world seems dangerous, cold, and profitless - in a word, meaningless. This perception leads to deeper, chronic despair when we ... escape into lonely isolation." The Cry of the Soul, NavPress
I am convinced that one of America's greatest challenges in 2007 goes beyond terrorism, crime, or the state of the economy. We have a community crisis; a breakdown of human relationships that create trust, that cause us to sacrifice for another, that provide the web work of a truly great nation. In my work with a local congregation I am deeply concerned about the need to build connections between people who occupy the church house on Sunday. It is not enough to come together just to sing some songs and hear a sermon. A church that is creating strong, healthy Christian disciples is a place that encourages relationships. But that is becoming more and more challenging in a society that celebrates radical independence, where we spend most evenings in our house watching TV instead of engaged in some activity or service involving other people. Even teenagers who usually do things in groups, are increasingly relating to each other virtually using the Internet and online places such as My Space or Facebook.
Solomon, the wise, observed: "Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NLT)
Because of the importance of relationships the Evil One works hard to divide people from each other. Conversely, God is love! Where God is truly invited, people are drawn together in close and self-sacrificing relationships! Don't confuse "God" with religion. Religion separates people. There are few things in the world as ugly as a church fight where all kinds of "God talk" is used to attack, destroy, and demean other people. Millions of people down through history have been killed in the name of God by other's who assumed they were superior because of their 'truth.'
The Truth is demonstrated in what we celebrate at Christmas - Emmanuel - "God with us!" Our Creator would not stand at a distance to observe us like some science experiment. He desired to know us, to be with us, to walk with us, to know us. Our disobedience had created a chasm, a break in relationship, which we could not bridge, but He did - by sending us His Son to live with us, to die for us, and to invite us back into the Family, with our debt settled at His expense.
Experience the love of God by receiving the Savior. Invite the Lord of Love to touch your heart, to convince you of His care for you. Trust Him - with the good, the bad, and the ugly of life. Allow Him to forgive you for your sins, to release you from the guilt of the past, and to give you a bright hope for the future. Find a community of Believers that is more than religious, real people who are working out the implications of loving God - individually and corporately. Join them! Might you be disappointed? No, you most certainly will, for we human beings are notorious for failing each other. It is in that moment that you have a choice - follow the Devil's road into isolation, division, and ultimately into despair; or follow the way of Christ Jesus, dying to self, and embracing the people around you with love.
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today. May it speak deeply to you and help you to build bridges to people, beginning this Holy Season.
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11, NIV)
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