The Tie that Binds

I remember one Wednesday night many 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 despite my 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 it be that love and grace and connection will be what ultimately endures?

For some of you, this time of social distancing may go on for a while. But it will end. There will come a time when we can be reconnected with extended family and friends. There will come a time when we will be reconnected in person as church families.

In the meantime, may we remember that there is a deeper tie that binds us together as a people of faith; and that truly, we are bound together as a human family, in ways that even now are just coming to light.

I pray that you and I, as people of faith, would be the kind of people that honor that tie, that connection. And, may we be the kind of people who invest deeply in our relationships and the lives of our communities.

Let us pray: We thank you for the gift of community, O God. We miss it deeply. May we sense our true connection with others – even across distance. May we feel their love, and yours. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.