community

Earlier this summer, Bev and I spent an evening with several friends, celebrating a birthday at JP Edwards in Burnham. The evening deeply imprinted itself on my heart and mind. I don't think about it in a nostalgic wistful way but more in a grateful overwhelming way. The evening helped me realize what a special thing our relationships are.

The evening was not made special by the food - although it was great. The conversation was great, not just surface "weather" kind of conversation but heart to heart conversation. We ate outside on the patio; the weather was delightful. (Other than the flying umbrella!) However, the beautiful weather is not what made the evening special.

The six of us come from diverse situations. There is a 20 year difference in age. One couple has grandchildren, one couple has young children at home. Our life experiences vary greatly. There have been times in our life when we all lived in different communities, scattered across the country and the world.
Our diversity does not divide us. Neither are we bound together by membership in an organization.

We drew our waitress, young enough to be my daughter, into the conversation to the point that when she finished her shift she came to the table and talked for a while. She talked about her life, about her struggles and about the uncertainty of her future.

What embedded the evening indelibly on my mind? It was the realization that I am part of something really special. Close relationships, the kind where there is no reason to pose and posture, are rare today. Sharing deeply and actively in another's failures and successes seems to be uncommon. Yet God's way is one of close community, life done together. The practical reality of the transformational work of Jesus emerges as we do life together - It is church!