Is there anything in this world that doesn’t deal in community? Marriage is more then just a union of two people. Aunts, uncles, children and parents that help support and nurture the marriage form a community. Churches are communities of faith. Neighborhoods in spite of privacy fences function best as communities. I can’t seem to think of anything that exist outside the bounds of community. Work places are communities.

I think because of our being made in the image of God we are designed to function in community. When we fight this natural function we start to produce all sorts of strange behaviors. Most twisted behavior, great or small is in some way related to a break down in our communal design. Healthy relationships (community) help build healthy people just as unhealthy relationships (a breakdown in community) help create unhealthy people.

I need health relationships to be who God has designed me to be so, in a very real way my ultimately being formed in the image of Christ depends on the community I am a part of, just as other in the community being formed into the image of Christ depends on me.

The bottom line is we better take care of each other.