11-19-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 19, 2020
Scripture: Colossians 3:14
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Thought for the Day: Recently I listened to David Brooks on a podcast where he spoke of tribalism vs. community. Tribalism is when people gather around a common hatred of something, while community is when people gather around a common love for something. Brooks suggested that tribalism can feel like community, but in fact it is more like an addiction. Wow! That is a very helpful distinction in our current environment, especially as the church tries to reclaim its purpose and mission. As followers of Jesus, we need to define ourselves based upon what we love. When you think about it, that should be a no brainer, yet strangely it is more challenging than it should be. There is plenty of tribalism in our current world that is attractive to the dishearten, lonely and marginalized. In the end, tribalism solves absolutely nothing while creating deeper and wider divides. The best way of breaking the grip of tribalism is to create places where people of different backgrounds and experiences can come together and truly listen to one another. Like a lot of things, this is more difficult right now, yet isn’t that exactly what the church is…or should be. Cypress Creek Christian Church is a non-creedal church. This means we do not require allegiance to some statement of belief in advance of participation. Instead, we come around a meal, the sharing of bread and cup representing Christ’s love for us and given to us. In recent months, we have been talking about revival in the post-pandemic world, and I believe revival will include a resurgence of community where people leave behind everything that isolates to join others in conversation around a meal. Might that be salvation to our communities, nation and world.

Prayer: O God whose image is woven into every human being, give me the courage to reach out, sit down, and join in conversations that just might be healing and life-giving to all. Amen.

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