Scripture: Genesis 35:11
And God said to him, and “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body.”

Thought for the Day: Without community, humankind would have perished long ago. It was the formation of communities that allowed our hunter-gatherer ancestors to survive against nature and natural predators. We have needed each other since we began walking upright (and possibly before). The great achievements of humankind, from the discovery of medicines, to the light bulb and space travel, have been done in communion with one another. Real life should not be lived in a vacuum.

However, many of us do our best to evacuate from the world. In Naples, Florida, gated communities spring up like dandelions in summer. As Dandelions aren’t really flowers, these gated communities aren’t really communities. They’re enclaves that both keep people out and trap people within, numbing them to the world beyond. In an enclave, the harsh realities of the world are always just outside the gates. Communities, on the other hand, destroy the gates and invite everyone in, the way the Berlin wall was destroyed—the way all walls should be destroyed. The way Jesus tried to destroy the walls of intolerance, ignorance, greed, and selfishness.

We are one people, created in a divine image, evolving and being shaped and formed through interactions with other humans and God. Our survival as a species depends on community every bit as much today as it did 200,000 years ago.

Prayer: Commune with me, God who nourishes my soul, and inspire me to create community with people who are different than I am. Teach us all to share our ideas, goods, services and shelters, creating a community of love and joy across the Earth. I pray in the name of the Christ—my refuge through the storms of life, and my inspiration to love unconditionally. Amen.