It's easy and tempting for us to cloister ourselves. Between various church activities throughout the week, church school or home school groups, small group meetings, and family life in general you might never see someone you don't go to church with. If you go to a bookstore for a cup of coffee there's a good chance that it's a Christian one. Some cities have directories that ensure you need never darken the door of a "pagan" business. I know that I go days, if not weeks, without seeing my next door neighbor. He's that tricky person that I'm told to love. Hard to do that when you don't speak. For that matter there are people in my neighborhood that I go to church with that I only see on Sunday. If you take into account that I live within a ten minute walk of my church as do a goodly number of others (though not the majority) that's sad.

One thing our church is doing to rectify that is to build what amount to geographical small groups. Most of that will involve identifying a person in each area to act as a central point of contact going both ways. It’s weird that we have to “facilitate” getting together to help one another. It’s bizarre to me to live in a world where that doesn’t happen organically, but it doesn’t. We live in a time where we have friendships with folks we never see. A horde of data flows through our houses, flooding our senses. Honestly many of us would never need to leave our houses to work, shop, or play. So I suppose it really shouldn’t surprise me that we’ve lost the felt need for community. The need is still there though and that community should be diverse. Let those around you challenge you and be challenged by you. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

The flip side of that is of course to get in amongst those who don’t believe and forsake gathering together with your spiritual family. Aaron and I talked about this last night. It can be hard to find a church that’s a “good fit”. That shouldn’t become an excuse to either a) give up looking or b) hop from place to place. Find a body of believers and get in there. Exposure to sound teaching and fellowship with believers is vital. I guess what I’m saying is that in religion, as in politics and diet, moderation is important. Just don’t confuse moderation with being lukewarm or complacent.

So how do these sorts of community manifest in your religious life (with believers/non-believers)?