Old Testament Reading: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NIV
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
New Testament Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:11, NIV
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
Sometimes we must unlearn old things so that we can learn new things. One of the things I had to unlearn was that scripture was not just written for me but was created in community and directed toward communities.
In regard to the Hebrew Bible, I knew pretty early that most of the content was directed toward the people of God or for use in their worship of God. I also knew that communities made decisions about what was in, how it was collated, and how it was preserved.
I only realized later how this worked with the New Testament. I was raised in the “just you and me Jesus” approach expressed by the hymn, “In the Garden”:
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
The personal relation with God through Jesus was more important than anything else. Two things changed this for me.
First, I learned that the gospels arose from communities of faith—directed to their needs and curated from what they felt was important—and that most of the epistles in the New Testament were directed to communities.
Second, I noted an observation by writer Reggie McNeal in one of his books that true growth only takes place in structures of accountability.
As a result, community has become much more important to me in my later life.
For example, I am not a musician, but the thing that I missed most during the pandemic was congregational singing in corporate worship. Singing along with my wife and some family members in front of the TV was a blessing, but it did not take the place of being in a space with a diverse group of believers and singing hymns together.
Another example is the place of accountability in my own faith journey. I have been involved in peer coaching with a friend and colleague for about 20 years. We meet every two or three weeks for encouragement and mutual accountability.
Our agenda is based on four items—highs, lows, scripture that has spoken to you, where have you seen God at work? We also set spiritual, personal, professional, and relational goals. We don’t always meet those goals, but they are helpful in our own growth and development.
I have come to understand that community provides us with both encouragement and accountability. It is essential for us as individuals and as believers.
We have started a new term of classes at Central Seminary. It is always interesting to see how students have already connected with each other in previous classes and renew those ties of encouraging and accountable community. I have to work to catch up sometimes, but I am grateful that they already have these relationships that provide encouragement and support.
Even though we don’t have the opportunities to meet often in the real world, we still are part of a community—faculty, staff, students. My prayer is that in this community we will continue to see God at work and find ways to support each other in our journeys.
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