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We’re In This Together

Loving God and loving neighbor are
two woven threads, bound together into
one Jesus-following life. 

Heather James

I wonder what it means to have an active theology of community. To center our Biblical understanding that we were created to live in relationship with one another in ways that serve and nourish the common good. 

I wonder what our neighborhoods would look like if we understood that the two greatest commandments were not two different tasks, but call us into one way of life. Loving God and loving neighbor are two woven threads, bound together into one Jesus-following life. 

I wonder what our cities would look like if we took seriously the call from Jeremiah to seek the peace of the city, and in its thriving to find our own well being. Is it true that if we serve the common good, we will find our own needs met and find that there is enough for all to be healthy and whole?

I wonder what the church would look like if we were to take on the struggle to center community and die to self. Maybe we would wrestle less with form, and more with function, allowing our energy, our resources, our heart, and our hope inform how we bear love into the world.

When we worship, we are tasting from the abundance of God’s table in the light of God’s presence. How can we not allow that joy, that love, to inform who we are to those around us?

I wonder what it would look like for us to work on our understanding of community.

Would we be willing to learn?

Would we be willing to find some new ways forward?

Would we joyfully put on our masks and get to work?


Want to dive deeper into a conversation about how we live life together?

Here are a few voices I’m learning from this week:

Mia Birdsong on Community as a Verb. Everything Happens Podcast with Kate Bowler.

Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity. (David W. Swanson, IVP, 2020)

Or reach out and let’s start a conversation. I’m working with pastors and churches to strategically meet this historical moment with meaningful engagement, learning, and compassion. Want to explore the possibility of working together?

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