Isolation and Community

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Gospel in Seven Words. That’s our theme this Lent. That’s our goal these forty days leading up to Easter. As we take Peter’s command seriously that we prepare ourselves to confess the hope we have in Christ, we’re considering how we might summarize it in seven words. As we have been saying - you can’t possibly say everything that needs be said about Jesus in seven words. But forcing ourselves to summarize the gospel in seven words helps us get to the heart of the matter. It forces us to answer the question: When it is all said and done, what is the good news of Jesus Christ?

Over the last two weeks we’ve been thinking about some important themes in the Bible. Two weeks ago, we talked about captivity and freedom - and talked about how Jesus frees us from captivity of sin and death. Last week, we reflected on death and life -and how Jesus gives life to those who are dead in sin. With both of theses themes we noticed that confessing the gospel in involves two truths. First, the gospel is bad news before it is good news. It is bad news of a creation that has turned away from its Creator. This is the bad news is the source of all that is wrong with this world. But the Gospel is also, and even more so, good news. It is good news of a God who loves His creation and reigns over it in mercy and love through the - Savior Jesus.

Tonight, we’re going to examine another prominent biblical theme. But before we do, let me encourage you to continue the process of trying to articulate the gospel in your own words. There are many images and concepts and truths about God’s love for us in Christ that you could draw from. The themes we’ve considered the last two weeks only scratch the surface. As these weeks of Lent continue, I encourage you to continue your own study of the Bible, to reflect on language of your favorite hymns or songs, to think about the faithful brother and sisters in Christ, and how they model the Christian life for you. And let that raw material supply you with words for your own seven word confession.

The theme I’d like to consider with you this evening, is one of the most pressing issues in our culture today. I’m talking about isolation and community.

Despite the connectedness we have at our fingertips on our phones, we are in the midst of an epidemic of social isolation. There was a magazine article published a few years ago, “Chronic Loneliness is a Modern-Day Epidemic”. The article describes the physical and emotional problems associated with loneliness. It lists all the cause that could contribute to it. It even suggests medicine that you could take to help you deal with loneliness! Studies have shown that the percentage of people who are reguargly lonely has more than doubled. In the 1970’s-1980’s 11-20 percent of people reported loneliness. In 2010s the numbers jump to 40-45 percent. With what we have gone through with COVID and isolation - I wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers were higher.

Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you know what it means to feel alone. Sometimes we feel that way because we are literally the only person in the house. Let’s be honest. Even if you are an independent person, life can get kind of lonely. Just when you thought you were getting along fine by yourself, you are overcome with feelings of isolation. Other times we feel alone even in a crowded room, or in a big family. We may be sharing space with other people, but there seems to be a distance or a disinterest, or a death of real connection. Then there’s loneliness that sneaks up on us through social media. You’ve got hundreds of friends, thousands of “likes”, and you find yourself alone with your phone, trying to convince yourself that is enough community.

It is an epidemic, friends. Isolation and the search from community. But it is not new.

The Bible has much to say about isolation and community. Already, in Genesis, even before the fall, God acknowledged it was not good for man to be alone. So He made a companion for Adam. Then came sin, and with it separation. Isolation. Adam and Eve became divided against each other, reflecting the division that arose between themselves and God.

Sin does that. It divides us. First from God, then from each other. Consider the effects of sin in your relationships with your loved ones. How many of us are divided from members of our family? How many of us wish we were closer with friends and loved ones? Consider the church. The divisions in the church can be even more painful. We come here and gather together, and yet we often feel so far apart. It happens to members of a congregation. It happens to members of a synod. It happens to members of the Christian church on earth.

There are many ways in which we could describe the gracious works of the Lord. We’ve been looking at a number of them through the season of Lent. But notice how our psalm for this evening puts it. Notice the good news in this passage, “Sing to God, sing praises to His name; lift up a song to Him who rides through the deserts; His name is the Lord; exult before Him. Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home” Psalm 68:4-6).

God settles the solitary in a home, David writes. And He should know. He spent a lot of time alone, running from King Saul, hiding for his life. He knew what it meant to be divided, separated, isolated. But notice what God did about this. Even when David committed terrible sins, God did not leave Him in isolation. No, He forgave Him and restored Him, and returned Him to community of God’s people. That’s what God does. He doesn’t just forgive us and then leave us alone. We are baptized into the body, into the family of God. That’s Paul’s words to the Corinthians (12:3). We belong to another now, for good.

Imagine a family reunion. A gathering of many people who have come together to celebrate. Imagine an elaborate dinner, a feast prepared for the whole group to enjoy. Now imagine all the mess from our family reunions has been removed. No more quarrels. No more grudges. No more awkward conversation. No need to avoid that one particular cousin. Can you picture it? That’s the image we get from the Bible. Revelation 7. Isaiah 25. Matthew 22. Each of these passages gives us a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven in terms of a community meal. No more loneliness. No more isolation. No more division or separation.

Community. As it should be. As it will be.

In 1624 the Christian poet and clergyman John Donne said, “No man is an island.” He was right. It was not good for man to be alone in the garden of Eden, and it’s never been good for any of us to be alone since. That’s why, today, we consider the gospel in terms of the gracious community into which God places us. We are baptized into Christ and each other. We commune with the Lord as one body around one tbale. We live together through good times and bad, glorifying God and supporting one another in Christian love and charity. And we look forward to the eternal reunion God has in store for all who believe.

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home” How could we summarize this good news? Which seven words shall we use tonight?

Let’s try this: Jesus refuses to leave His people alone.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.