November 15. 2023

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Photo of a red sign that says community is strength be strong let's look out for one another by John Cameron on Unsplash

“I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Self-centeredness has been on my mind lately due to the readings that have I been meditating on this week. As I come to this little passage where God unveils the next development in God's covenantal relationship with God's people, I am struck by the communal aspect of it.

In American Christianity we have often been enamored with the individual. We make all our heroes into John Wayne types. Strong, solitary, and not needing anyone. Yet, this is not what we actually see in the Scriptures. All of the heroes of the faith were deeply embedded in community.

Our fascination with the individual has bled over into our understanding of what God is up to in the world. We think of God as saving individuals. Yet, it appears that there is something more that God is doing. God is out here redeeming for God-self a people.

A community. A body. A congregation. A people.

I have heard so many messages about taking verses like this and individualizing it. This absolutely misses the point.

As I grow older and (I think) wiser, I am coming to the conclusion that it is not possible to walk with God alone. We walk with God in community.

The question I'm pondering today, “Am I opening myself to community or am I isolating myself?”

Discuss...

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