The great spiritual leader of our time, Father Richard Rohr, describes how we are all called to engage in an intimate relationship with the living God. All of us are called. But Rohr reminds us that even the bravest prophetic leaders throughout history relied on companions along the way.
Rohr lifts up that moment when Moses finds himself exhausted with the task God had called him to accomplish. In Numbers 11:24-29, God basically says, “Okay, okay, assemble the elders. Look to the community. You were never supposed to do this alone. I told you to do it; I didn’t tell you to do it alone.” But many of us attempt to carry our burdens alone. From potty training to sending kids off to college, we need companions on the parenting journey. Whether we are nursing a spouse back to good health or walking with a sibling into the shadow of death, we can lean on friends. Corporate CEOs and not-for-profit volunteers need conversation partners for making tough decisions. I love the idea of God saying to each of us, “I didn’t tell you to do it alone.”
This past Sunday I felt the power of community in a fresh way. As Daudi and Kellen Msseemmaa, our mission co-workers from Tanzania, visited and spoke at our Sunday worship and classes. I tasted the chai and banana bread and watermelon, and I savored the spirit of partnership that stretches thousands of miles around the globe. I wondered why they would drive their young family of four here from Minneapolis, leaving there at midnight and arriving here at 7 am just in time to get ready for church. That seemed almost crazy. But then they reminded me that prophets don’t fall in love with God alone, but through the spirit of mutuality and community found in congregations. Perhaps the video they made for us says it best:
Grace and Peace,
Carla
