Created for Community

After participating in the men’s ministry BBQ and Summer Plug-in, I realized further that in-person interaction is something substantially better than virtual interaction. And this is not to dismiss the many benefits of the virtual. It’s convenient to log on without driving to a meeting. It’s wonderful to be able to participate in worship even during stay-at-home orders. The ability to go virtual is, indeed, a powerful tool. However, it’s quite obvious that it’s just not the same as being in-person. There’s something missing. What is it? It’s hard to describe.

Yet we find this missing element in Scripture. In Genesis 2:18 God asserts that “It is not good that the man should be alone.” Technically, Adam wasn't alone. There were so many animals. And God was there. In fact, the Fall doesn’t occur until chapter 3, so Adam enjoyed fellowship with God. We can conclude that while Adam wasn’t alone in an absolute sense, there was a certain aspect that he was alone. Verse 20 provides a glimpse of what this is, “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” Out of all creation to that point, only Adam was created in the image of God. He was alone in this sense. He had no other image bearer to relate to.

But how could loneliness exist when the Fall didn’t yet occur? Jonathan Edwards posed a question about this- after a reiteration of refrains where creation was deemed good, how could something be ‘not good’ before the Fall? Did God make a mistake in creation? And the answer is, of course, no. God doesn’t make mistakes. In fact, the feeling of loneliness that Adam felt was not a sign of imperfection but rather of God’s perfection. In God’s essence, He is a community in the Trinity. Since Adam was created in the image of God, the very nature of Adam longed for community. He was created for community. And so are we.

This is why being in-person is so important. We were created to be in community with one another. Furthermore, as believers in Christ, we are part of the body of Christ. We are part of the family of God. Relationships require in-person interaction that cannot be substituted for a virtual or augmented reality. May we take heed to the oft quoted passage in Hebrews and be blessed in one another’s presence as we are in His:

Hebrews 10:24-25

“24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”