Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, May 21, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
We all need community. In the U.S. we have this crazy idea that people need to be completely independent. At no time in human existence has this been true. Never mind natural history, the Bible and Christian beliefs in the Trinity tell us that human beings were created to be in community, with God and with one another. No matter how you slice it, we need each other (and this from a true introvert who sometimes thinks she could go live under a rock and be happy—I know that’s baloney).
For a lot of years, church provided community. Everyone knew each other. People could bring their struggles and their community rallied around them. More recently it seems that (at least in my experience) Church communities have become more transactional. You go once a week for an hour, and maybe do a committee or group here and there, but pretty much, the rest of your life is compartmentalized from your congregation. Of course there are exceptions to this idea, but I think you get my point.
The early church was beset by struggle. Christians faced persecution. They were called to a different kind of lifestyle. They met in homes in small groups. They needed one another in ways we can’t imagine now. Yet we still need each other in these same, intimate ways.
We are called to work for the good of all. Sometimes this is in big ways, like protesting and working to dismantle oppressive systems. But other times it’s in small ways, like taking someone a meal, offering a ride or a listening ear, or taking care of a task for someone who can’t.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we are inextricably interconnected. We were never meant to bear our burdens alone.
Where have I had opportunities to work for the good of all?
![1 Kings 17:1-16 [17-24], God’s Care for the Widow](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/bf37035e-33d5-439f-a0d6-a68b02d0f1bc/24-11-03.jpg)
