2024.11.22

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

In today’s scripture, Paul calls the Colossian Church (and us) to “oneness,” another word for community. Yet, this can only happen if we allow our Savior’s peace (wholeness) to flood our hearts. Then, this saturated collective heart of the church will experience a community where people can care for one another, nurture relationships, and maybe create an extended family. More importantly, they become the Body of Christ!

I recently read an article from The Atlantic by Derek Thompson, an acknowledged agnostic, about how many Americans seemed to have found no alternative method to build a sense of community. The title is “See the True Cost of Churchgoing Bust.” In it, Thompson laments the decline of religious institutions over the last few decades; they not only provided a connection to the divine but also offered a sense of a community connected to ritual, service, and relationships. Interestingly enough, he stated that religion “works a bit like a retaining wall to hold back the destabilizing pressure of American hyper-individualism…” and “less civically engaged.”

Before you get all high and mighty about the flaws and foibles of the church that have driven people away, don’t forget that we have also been on the front line of some pretty darn awesome things throughout the past 20 centuries! And besides, the first thing to remember is that the church is made up of a bunch of people who know they are broken, which is why many are there to worship and serve every week! How many people in the secular world would admit that?

Back to my point. Anecdotally, over the last two decades of ministry, this HitchHiker has seen a marked rise of loneliness, depression, and suicide as the numbers of religious adherents also declined. These symptoms have only accelerated since COVID, socio-political instability, and the “work at home” phenomena of the past four to eight years. Psychology Today confirmed the HitchHiker’s gut instincts in September of 2023 when they reported that the suicide rate had increased by 35% in the past two decades.*