Jesus Project, Day 5

Today's quote is from the Gospel of Matthew 18:19-20: “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

So short and sweet, and so powerful.  Again, Jesus is talking about how we are all in this together, how important it is to be in community if we are to live in Christ.

I was thinking about this passage a lot over the past few days, especially yesterday at church.  I tend to study and pray on my own for the most part.  I mean, didn't Jesus also say, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." (Matthew 6:5-6)

I think Jesus was encouraging two different things with these statements.  I think that with the Chapter 6 verse he was saying that God is in you, and God is listening to you.  You and your Creator have an intimate relationship that is yours to cultivate in private.  No other intermediary is required between you and God.

But with the quote from Chapter 18, I believe he was also reinforcing that God is within us all -- that through God, we are all connected and that this connection is powerful.  It is through a spiritual community that we can make a difference through prayer and action.

When you think about it, what happens when people get together for a common purpose?  They make plans, they create together, they discuss and learn, they grow.  Things happen.  Jesus knew this.

So although I personally do study and pray on my own, I am encouraged by Christ to grow in my spirituality through relationship with others who also seek a spiritual life.  We learn from each other by sharing our experiences and perspectives.  We encourage each other to try new activities or practices that help us to expand our views of God.  We pray together which is not only a force in the world, but soothes the hearts and reinforces the faith of those involved.  We play together and open one another to joy.  And we care for each other through hardships with the grace of God as our support system.

Thank you, Jesus, for yet another reminder of how God's given us each other as one of the greatest blessings of this life.