Have you ever taken communion? Are you familiar with the passage about examining yourself that you may not partake in an unworthy manner? This was not meant to be a worthiness contest, or to turn people away from my table. The intent is that you would examine yourself and still come. You encounter enough judgment and condemnation already. I do not mean to add to your burden. If you need healing, and know that you cannot heal yourself, then come to the place where healing is freely given. Come acknowledging your need for restoration. I invited you because I want you at my table. 

Have you ever done something with a sense of urgency you could not explain, or changed your routine way of doing things without being able to explain why? Have you found out later that these changes or timely completion of tasks was favorable for you? Yet you didn’t know at the time why this was so. I promised that my children would be led by the Spirit. The promise is not that you will understand in the moment that this is what is happening. This actually enables you to receive this process and take part in it with greater grace and humility.

What comes to mind when you think about safety? Avoiding collision and fire? Those things can be deadly, but the functional experience of safety includes much more. What about safety in social situations? Are you reluctant to speak up around unfamiliar people until you assess the situation to find out what topics are safe and which are not? Is the risk of rejection or ridicule or embarrassment a valid concern? People live their lives in the consideration of these questions. You wear your seat belt to improve vehicle safety. If you love others you will be a safe person to be around.

How do you build community? For this is an essential need for the life of every person. Who can survive alone? The quickest way is to identify a common enemy. But things that are built quickly tend to be of low quality and this is true in this case. Hatred of a common foe creates a false intimacy and a toxic environment. It eventually poisons a community founded on it. What is the alternative? Communities of love take longer to build. It takes patience and commitment to build a foundation of trust, but take the time and put in the effort. These communities are built to last.