Joy in Togetherness
I have been reading the book of Ezekiel recently. I haven’t generally been drawn to it over the years, mainly because I have often thought it to be just “weird.” But on this recent reading, I have been struck by something else: 1) that it’s sad, and 2) that it’s also hopeful.
The sadness comes from the description of the Israelites’ deep sinfulness, but perhaps surprisingly, the hope comes right in the midst of that sinfulness.
The southern-kingdom Israelites have refused to put their trust in God and instead have placed their faith in other countries. God responds by chronicling their actions with vivid and shocking language of a broken relationship. Through the prophet, God accuses Israel of prostituting herself, and even worse, of paying lovers to be with her rather than demanding payment of them. Images of death, destruction and abandonment deepen the gloom in the book.
However, from God’s perspective, the story is not over, even despite the catastrophic event of the exile into Babylon. Repeatedly, God speaks of renewal, and in a variety of ways:
Sometimes the judgment of God manifests itself in scatteredness. The people will be sent away as a result of their sins. And yet, after a time, God will relent and will gather them from the nations and bring them back from the countries where they have been scattered. They will be home again.
Other times the problem is the people’s hard hearts: they are disloyal, stubborn and rebellious. And yet, God doesn’t give up on them, calling them to repent, and God promises to give them an undivided heart and a new spirit.
Still other times, we hear about destruction. The city, the people and above all the temple will be demolished. And yet, God will rebuild. Ezekiel ends with a nine-chapter description of a new city with a new temple: beautiful, renewed, and glorious, just like the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21–22. The last words of the book provide the best news of all: the name of the city going forward will be “The LORD is there.”
Perhaps most profoundly, at least from a human perspective, the prophet repeatedly warns the people of death. Their course of action will lead them to die. And yet, God tells Israel that new life can come out of death, illustrated most vividly in the story of the valley of dry bones in chapter 37. Death is not the end when the breath of God’s spirit is abroad and active!
What these passages help us see so clearly is that God is a God of restoration. Even in these dire circumstances, God demonstrates that renewal is possible!
As we in the Siburt Institute have been talking with churches, it seems that the dust is finally settling in the wake of the COVID pandemic for many congregations. Yes, most churches returned to normal Sunday gatherings quite a while back, but now more questions are being answered. Leaders are finally getting a sense of what their attendance will be going forward—and, as a result, what next year’s budget will need to look like. Churches have been able to return to some amount of normal ministry programming. And ministry staffs are adjusting to both new faces and also empty seats at the meeting table. We’re getting a clearer picture of reality, and as Charles Siburt liked to say, “Reality is your friend.”
But there’s another thing that we’re noticing here, specifically as we have been holding face-to-face events, and one that I think is just as much a gift from God. It’s how much people are enjoying being together with other believers! Whether it’s our Summit gathering in Abilene, our ElderLinks across different states, or our Equipping for Ministry meals happening in churches in various cities, we consistently witness our attendees experience a palpable joy at good, old-fashioned fellowship. I’ve watched people renew old friendships with folks they haven’t seen in a long time, while others hug or shake hands with nearby friends that they simply haven’t been able to see under the circumstances. And when they tell us about their experiences, they report how refreshed they feel.
I’m really grateful for this, but I’m also not that surprised. You see, in our fellowship, just being together has always been a key part of our spiritual life. In fact, a friend of mine has said that we don’t talk that much in the Churches of Christ about a “personal relationship with Jesus” because we have a congregational spirituality. We connect with God by gathering with other believers—for worship, for fellowship, and for service.
I think what we’re feeling is the sheer joy of togetherness after a long dry period. It’s the togetherness that the church enjoyed in the early chapters of Acts, that Joseph and his brothers enjoyed after their reunion in Egypt, that Jacob and Esau enjoyed with their families after a long separation. It’s the togetherness that hurts so much when it’s absent, and that almost goes beyond words when we enjoy it again.
If I may be direct: see if you can find ways to encourage your people to enjoy togetherness. It may not have to be a big program or have a big agenda—you know your people better than I do—but give them the opportunity. They may not even know they need it, but togetherness can help us on the road to renewal and refreshment. God is a master of bringing renewal to a dry and weary land, and the same is true with dry and weary hearts.
May God bless you as you foster togetherness among your people!
David
