[Written by William Monroe]
If you listened to my family’s conversations about church throughout the week you’d hear all sorts of things
“Are we going to church?” or “I accidentally left my bag at church.” Or often, “Is it church day?” We use the word “Church” as convenient shorthand for all sorts of things.
Church is not a building. Church is not a place. Church is not a time of the week.
The one thing we tend to not use the word “Church” for, is the one thing it definitely is. Church is a community.
“Bear one another’s burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
– Galatians 6:2
Communities are built upon connections. These connections aren’t built from nothing.
“A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.“
– Proverbs 17:17
Our culture encourages us to isolate when we are having a tough time. What we learn from the Bible, and from experience in a loving, connected church community is that adversity is precisely when we need our community. It is through adversity that our connections, our community, turns into a family.
Sometimes family (or community) is frustrating. On this side of heaven, we won’t find a perfect community. Life won’t always be easier with a community, but in a loving, connected, church community, it can be richer.
The Monroe family has had a difficult year. I’m not going to go into all the details on here, I’m happy to tell you about it sometime if you want to grab some coffee and catch up. What I will say is that this year has been so much more bearable, and so much better with our connection to a loving, connected, church community.
