The Tie that Binds

I remember one Wednesday night a number of years ago now, Pastor Bob Smith was teaching a class on the parables at our church. He had us sing “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God…” as a closing song. I had been through a particularly hard year that year. As we were singing, I looked around the room at all the faces of these people I’d grown to love, and in spite of outward circumstances, an overwhelming sense of joy washed over me. I thought about all the love and support that had been extended to me. And I thought about all the love and support that had been extended to others in that room. I thought about the kingdom of God… and I wondered: Is this what heaven will be like? Will love, and grace and connection be what ultimately endures?

I am reminded today there is a deep tie that binds us together as a people of faith. And that truly, we are bound together as a human family, in ways that ever more clearly coming to light. I pray that you and I, as people of faith, would be the kind of people who honor that tie, that connection. And, may we be the kind of people who invest deeply in our relationships, and in the lives of our communities.  

Let us pray: We thank you for the gift of community, O God. Empower us to build it, and cherish it. Amen.