Birds On A Wire

Monday's Musings by Michele Bowden on October 7, 2024

(Today's musing is written by Michele Bowden, one of our NorthStar writers. Michele attends Gateway Community Church.)

Birds on a Wire

When my kids were young, we would point out the birds perched together on a wire. If you paid close attention, you could see their formations as they flew off in synchronized flight.
My kids would say, “Look mom, they are having church!”

There are many symbols among creation that reflect God’s design, but one of the most profound is that of community. Animals gather in community making homes and ecosystems that connect together. Trees grow in forests. Flowers grow in fields. Fish swim in schools. Waters teem with webs of ecological communities.

Our church puts great emphasis on community. Not because it’s our idea but because it’s God’s idea. He designed us to live in community.

The Book of Romans has several applications for believers to come together for encouragement, belonging, and unity. Romans 1:12 says that you and I may be “mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 12:5 says, “In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:16 says, “Live in harmony with one another.”

Jesus was the first to gather the twelve in community. He invested. He spent time. He shared experiences and wisdom. He told stories with his community. The Scriptures say they broke bread, healed the sick, and performed miracles together.

One verse challenged them, “that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Cor 1:10). Even on good days, our church communities struggle to uphold these virtues.

Have we missed out on these lessons for the modern church or are we just too busy to create the space for community? We were designed for community and our communities were designed for us.

One thing about birds on a wire, they always have a song to sing. What’s your song? Are you struggling to sing because you are missing out on community? If you haven’t found your song or your community yet, ask God to give you one.

You’ll be singing His praises in no time.