He was with God in the beginning. – John 1:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 11, 2017): John 1

Community is essential. I am convinced of that. Suicide rates among people who seem to be isolated are higher than those who exist in community. That does not prove a causal relationship, but it is a reminder that we need each other. I don’t say this as an extrovert who loves to be with people. I am an introvert who loves to spend time alone. Being alone has never been something that has scared me. I am comfortable keeping my own company. And if it were not for my family and friends, I think I could disengage from society. But, in spite of the way that I react to my world, I am still convinced that community is essential.

The flip side that I understand is that, even though people make me uncomfortable, they also stretch me and allow me to grow. They make me stronger. They teach me to love. And I know that, even as an introvert, relationships drive me forward. I want everyone to have, at the very least, a small community of support to gather around them in times of trouble. We all, extroverts and introverts included, need someone who we can phone in the middle of the night when disaster strikes. The reality that I understand is that very few of us have those people in place. And the time that those communities are built is when times are good, and we don’t need those relationships.

Or maybe put it this way. I read a Facebook post recently that decried the fact that insurance companies won’t cover pre-existing conditions. My Facebook friend asked the question – “what are we supposed to do, pay for insurance we might never need.” The answer is – yes. Insurance companies exist to make money. They do that by selling us insurance, in this case, health insurance. The insurance company hopes that we buy the insurance when everything is going good and that we never need it. But the reality is that most of us will need it, and some will need it more than others. But the insurance that we bought from while the sun was shining is there for us when, and if, the darkness comes. Two things happen. First, the insurance company makes money – that is why they exist in the first place. Second, those of us who need help get it when we need it. Community works the same way. We invest in community when we may not feel that we need it so that it is there for us when we do need it.

And community is God’s plan for humanity. In the words of Genesis 1, God says “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness …” (Genesis 1:26). My emphasis as I read these words is on the repeated word “our.” God existed in essential community at the creation of the world, and we are no closer to reflecting the image of God than when we live in community together.

John starts off his gospel by stressing the same thing. Jesus existed with God “in the beginning.” Jesus was part of the essential community that was present at Creation. It is also these words that remind us that, while the incarnation of Jesus began in Bethlehem, Jesus pre-existed his birth in the manger. Jesus was always present, and always will be. And he should be the one who is revealed in our community.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 3