Created for Connection
Author name
Midweek Message
I’m composing this week’s meditation on my 52nd birthday (I guess now I can say I’m
playing with a full deck of cards!). And even though I have seriously considered, from
time to time, just completely shutting down my Facebook page, one of the things I enjoy
about it is receiving all these birthday greetings from family members and friends from
all across the various chapters of my life, from my childhood church’s preschool through
college and seminary and now twenty-five years of ministry. I cherish the connections
that each greeting brings to mind.
Our church staff gathered for a staff retreat last Friday. We met in the Gold Room over
at Alexian. It was nice to be away from the phones and the screens and just be
together. Our leader, Rev. Carol Wilson, led us in an exploration of how we can cultivate
an emotionally healthy climate here among our staff and with our congregation. One of
the exercises involved each of us picking from a word list the top five feelings that we
want to feel in order for us to be successful in our particular ministry. My top word was
“connected.” For me to be successful in my ministry, I need to feel connected.
“Connected” happens to be a good Methodist word. It’s a word that describes our
church polity, the way we’re organized as a denomination. We’re not a congregational
kind of church that’s independent of others and out there by ourselves; we’re a
connectional church. We’re connected with other churches in our district, our
conference, and even all around the world. We like to be, and to feel, connected.
I wonder if we’re actually created by God for connection—connection with God and with
one another. We’re created in the image of God, whose very nature, as a Trinity, is a
connection. And when God said after creating Adam and just before creating Eve, “it is
not good for the human to be alone, I will make him a helper as his partner,” I wonder if
that’s really a way of saying it’s not good for us to be disconnected. We’re made for
connection.
Feeling connected isn’t simply about being around other people. I’ve found that I can
feel disconnected even when I’m around a lot of other folks. Likewise, I know some
people who live alone but are some of the most deeply and broadly connected people
I’ve ever met.
What about you? Are you someone who likes to feel connected? Who are some of the
connections in your life that you especially cherish? Will you take a moment today to let
them know (even if it’s not their birthday on Facebook!)? Is there anyone with whom you
might feel a nudge to reconnect after some time or distance? And is there someone in
your current orbit who might especially enjoy becoming connected with you? How can
you connect with others today in the name of the Christ who came to connect with us?
