When I was younger, every Saturday featured The Lone Ranger. He would don the mask and seek out the bad guys and restore justice. I didn’t think about it until much later that he was never really “lone” – he had Tonto as his helper and friend.
In the Bible, when God created man, he said it wasn’t good for man to be alone so he created woman (Genesis 2:8). God’s first comment on the state of humans was that we need others – we are built for community. Often today, as far as relationships are concerned, we seek independence and isolation. (Think of families gathered around the table, each on their cell-phones, not engaged with one another.)
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, put it this way, “Everyone should look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4) As the body of Christ (the church) we are called to community not only to provide good relationships for ourselves but that we can provide them for others.
As we mature as a church, it is incumbent upon us to be better at building and maintaining healthy relationships with one another. How can we be better at engaging and being present with each other?