On vacation this week! As I was having my coffee this morning, and spending some time with God, I ran across something that I had to share with you. Here are some additional thoughts on the concept of "community" from one of my favorite Christian authors, Henri Nouwen.
"The word is always a word for others. Words need to be heard. When we give words to what we are living, these words need to be received and responded to. A speaker needs a listener. A write needs a reader.
When the flesh, the lived human experience, becomes word, community can develop. When we say, "Let me tell you what we saw. Come and listen to what we did. Sit down and let me tell you what happened to us. Wait until you hear whom we met," we call people together and make our lives into lives for others. The word brings us together and calls us into community. When the flesh becomes word, our bodies become part of a body of people."
It's interesting that Nouwen is primarily referring to the spoken word, but through his description of this essential aspect of community, he is actually describing the foundation of community: "The Word become flesh and made His dwelling among us." As he makes His dwelling among us, and we unite with Him at the center, community is the undeniable outcome.
Peace & Blessings!
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