God-given models of community

We are wired to be with others. We were created so. When God said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” I believe in that moment He was thinking in general terms. Why? Because in the chapter before God is clearly speaking in the plural when He refers to “us”  making humankind in “our” image. Of course no one knows who God is actually speaking to when he said that, but He was clearly addressing a community in which He and others are a part.

I was brought up in a residential home for disabled children. Located on the very outskirts of the town, it was complete with its own school, hospital, and Brownie pack! As cut off from the outside world as it could possibly get, we were still a community. While I don’t remember it being a bad experience, the sanitised environment in which I grew up did little to prepare me for engaging with the community outside its walls. Thus, it took many years of pain and grace to break the bonds of isolation brought about through separation from one community and being transplanted into another. The same can be said of society today. We are becoming more isolated from those around us because we are being forced to live in a transitional society which has the net effect of keeping us isolated from those around us. Therefore, investing in a welcoming community where everyone is included and can thrive is the clearest expression of God’s original intention when he created humankind. Yet experience has shown that when it comes to disabled people they, and others in the margins of society, are among the most isolated of any community: Often living alone, or in a residential setting, or hidden out of sight in the family house, as is often the case in other cultures. 

Inclusivity, if properly understood, is an essential ingredient for creating the sense of community that all people groups should enjoy, whether it be within their own organised groups or the wider community. Easier said, I know. Living it out, even harder. But what we learn from this scripture is that God sees fellowship with the isolated and excluded among those claiming to be His followers to be fundamentally important to the success of His Kingdom on earth. The implication being that we can’t expect anyone to be interested in the gospel of Christ if there isn’t clear evidence that faith communities are reflecting the diverse people groups in the communities they share.

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