Ecclesiastes 4 is mostly about how two together is better than one, and that a third strand in a cord is stronger than just two. Jesus told His disciples that when two or three are gathered together, He is there. I don’t think that means that He isn’t present when we are alone; after all, this past Ash Wednesday we once again read how Jesus told His disciples to pray and give alms in secret, so, obviously, God is present at all times. I think Jesus was talking about being in community and being responsible for each other. This is why He sent the disciples out in pairs – we are better together. Alone, I am always right – at least, I think I am. When someone else is there, I have another person to bounce ideas off of.
A lot of people tell me that they can be a Christian on their own, or that they are spiritual, but not religious. I do not doubt their sincerity, and a lot of bad things have been done to people using the church for protection, so I can understand where they are coming from. I agree that we can follow Jesus on our own, and that we can be spiritual people without others around us; I just don’t think we can be our best versions of those things without each other. I know that I can’t. I have often said that my most “brilliant” ideas, when brought to others, become really great when the group works on it together, and my original idea often looks completely different once we are done with it. In the same way that we tell our kids to travel in groups for safety, there is a spiritual safety to being part of a community that is transparent and focused on allowing every voice to be heard. We are better together.
There are things like groupthink and mob mentality that can be the other side of the coin. We see this when protests go wrong, like the January 6th insurrection. Clearly, not everyone at the protest beforehand was bent on destruction, and many who were protesting peacefully left before things got bad and the crowd turned violent, plotting destruction and murder. We always need to be aware of the dangers of this happening, and organizations like churches must always remain democratic in nature. Tyranny is dangerous no matter what the organization. As long as we stay focused on the goal – the mission – we are better together. If your group starts going the wrong way, and nobody listens to your protests, do what Jesus suggested – knock the dust off your shoes and move on. But don’t move on alone – find others who share your values – because we truly are better together.
Prayer – Holy God, You have created us to be together. May our communities of faith put aside insignificant things for the common good. Amen.
Today’s art is part of a mural program in NYC led by Groundswell. This one is located in Bedford-Stuyvesant and is called “Compass of Dreams.”