The following is an adaptation from Pastor Robbie’s sermon preached via livestream on Sunday, March 22 from Leviticus 25:8-17. You can read the introduction here.
What type of reset is God calling us to?
One of the gifts that the Year of Jubilee offered was that everyone returned to their own home and family. They were given time to slow down, focus on their immediate community and deepen their love for one another.
One of the challenges of social distancing and isolation is that you don’t naturally see people outside of your home unless you are walking your dog. As we are forced into this period of isolation, we realize, perhaps more than ever, that we are made for deep relationships and community. We are meant to be known and loved by others while knowing and loving others as well. We’ve taken our time together, including our worship and fellowship, for granted.
So how can we deepen our relationships amid social distancing?
Perhaps we don’t interact with one another appropriately. Kyle Bennett, in his book Practices of Love, points out that we often intrude into people’s lives in domineering and disruptive ways. So we need to change how we interact with one another. One small but significant way we can do this is by consistently and frequently stepping back from others to think and pray for them via practicing solitude. The spiritual practice of solitude is not just being alone with God just for the purpose of being alone with God. The spiritual discipline of solitude is actually given to help us deepen our community.
Think about the life of Jesus.
Why did Jesus, as was his custom, wake up early in the morning and go off by himself to pray?
We know what Jesus prayed for in these times, as we have a picture of that in John 17. Yes, he prayed to and praised the Father, but he also prayed for his disciples. Jesus stepped back in order to pray for his disciples, the future of the church, her needs, and the needs of the world.
But very particularly, in this moment, this is a gift to you as God is calling you to specifically invest in the people closest to you. If you talk with anyone who has worked remotely for the past few years, they will tell you that when you have low external structures, then you need to be very disciplined and intentional. God wants you to be intentional and disciplined in your relationships with those closest to you: in your marriage, in your family, in your roommates, in your neighbors, and more.
Every week our community groups are meeting virtually via technology. Let’s leverage technology In positive ways to interact and connect with one another. When it’s beautiful outside, go and take walks with one another. One thing that my family is regularly doing is taking long walks around town and checking in on neighbors and church family.
A friend in New York traveled to visit her family earlier this month as her father is ill. She only planned to visit for one day, but she’s been with her elderly parents for the past three weeks.
Another friend in Seattle posted on Facebook:
In front of our house, all day, the street was active with entire families walking and riding bikes past... up and down.
Multiple neighbors brought chairs out into their yards, 6 feet apart, and chatted for hours. Few planes left trails in the beautiful blue sky. Kids played soccer and two even brought out pogo sticks and bounced up and down the sidewalk.
None of this dismisses the legitimate pain in the world. But the undeniable truth that we all feel is that community is a gift during troubles and tribulations. So embrace this moment, lean in, and deepen community.