A while back I was part of a funeral for a woman who had lived in care facilities since she was a child. Eighteen people came, mostly other residents and the caregivers who had shared her days. They were not her blood. They were the ones who had always shown up, who noticed when she was having a hard day. A whole community built not from family ties but from faithfulness. That is the neighborhood God imagines.
All week we have walked through the commandments that hold a community together. Saturday is a good day to ask: who are my people, and am I one of theirs? One way to live this out is the practice of justice and advocacy, showing up for a neighbor who needs someone in their corner.
Tomorrow we gather for worship, and worship is where we practice being a people. Come and find yours. Online worship is available at youtube.com/@mcphersonfirst.
God, you place the lonely in families. Make me someone who shows up, and lead me to the people I am meant to walk beside. Through Christ I pray. Amen.