the community of God

Continuing "God pulls"...

Those who surrender to God's pull are drawn to God, and also drawn together. They are pulled towards one another, towards the community of God. This is real community, with real people to embrace and support each other, but it is different from any other group or organization of people.

Because it is not created by human effort or human design, it is not held together by us. We are not the ones who decide who is admitted to this community. And we cannot cast anyone out. We do not choose who leads this community, nor do we decide its nature or purpose or direction. We did not start this community, and we cannot end it. It is truly a living community, the only gathering of people that actually has a life of its own, a life that will never end. We can become a part of its life, but its life does not depend on us.

The community of God is alive with the love of God, the spirit of God, in us. As John wrote, "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them." This is what unites the community of God. This is what the community of God is. The love of God drawing people together, giving them the purpose and energy and strength to act as one, for good. Obviously, this is not what most people are doing, most of the time. This is not what we usually see when we look around us. But the community of God is among us. When we surrender to God's pull, we begin to see and experience this community, mixed in among society, its boundaries not clearly defined. Because we cannot own or control this spirit of love. When we surrender to this love, we are drawn into God's community and are a part of its life. But whenever we fight and resist God's love, then we stand outside, apart, fighting and resisting God's community. The only way to remain a part of God's community is to surrender, in every moment, to God's continual pull. "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Jesus asked. "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and my mother."

Continued...