Here we are, at my annual #WordOfTheYear post once again! This year, I knew my word quite early on - or at least, I thought I did. No later than March, I was pretty sure it would be fellowship. I wrote a whole devotional on that topic and thought about it a lot. After a year of social distancing and rather fragmented fellowship, it was something I felt was particularly needed in the world and in my life. But as the year went on, my fascination with fellowship deepened into a calling to community.
Fellowship is certainly a beautiful thing. When diverse people gather to share life and work towards a goal together, there is tremendous potential for growth, security, and power. (Think the Fellowship of the Ring.) Christian people have this amazing gift of being able to find fellowship with each other wherever they happen to be, whatever walk of life, whatever language, race, social status, or anything else. We always have something in common that's big enough to rally around, and at our best, we can serve our Lord together pretty amazingly.
But the more I saw how this concept was playing out in my life, the more I found myself using the word community to describe what I was experiencing. It was like fellowship, but with a more down-home feeling. Not so much like everyone's favorite Fellowship that fulfilled a mission and then disbanded, but like the Shire in peacetime when everyone in Hobbiton shows up to the Birthday Party whether they're invited or not. Community is about the daily ordinary life lived with the people who happen to be around you. It's informal, organic, maybe even a little messy.
I bought a house in a downtown area near the end of last year, and being in close proximity to city life has helped develop my sense of community. As I walk to work, I see people. I see people while I water my plants at the community garden. Even when I walk to the cemetery, I see real live people. I've learned to smile and nod, maybe even stop to say hello and offer a few fresh-picked carrots. As a general rule, people aren't scary. They're actually pretty cool (yes, even my neighbors who made no secret of voting differently than I did). Community is paying attention to the humanity in front of you.
This year, I've grown in my interactions with my church community by serving in new ways. I've developed deeper connections with people I've previously had a friendly but business-like relationship with. I've even found remarkably meaningful correspondence with new friends I've only met on Zoom or in letters. And the one thing I've found they all have in common is me. Specifically, my willingness to offer my talents, time, and thoughts to enrich their lives. Community happens when people give themselves to one another in big and small ways. Even a word or a smile in passing on the sidewalk can make a difference, and it's really not that hard.
While there are times I do want to gather a special fellowship around me for a particular purpose, most of life is about simply being open to the people God places in my path on any given day. Community is the little, mundane things that develop into surprisingly beautiful relationships over time. It can't be manufactured, only accepted with humble gratitude and wholehearted generosity.
So here's to my community, whoever you are - I thank God for you. Happy New Year!