Summer Community Groups
“Why do I often feel like staying in?” “Why does it feel impossible to get people together?” “Why do I feel busier than what I am?”
Do you relate? In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General warned Americans of the “loneliness epidemic.” But recently, it’s become clear that the burden of loneliness has morphed into a preference for solitude. Derek Thompson’s recent essay in The Atlantic entitled “The Anti-Social Century” (in contrast to the social 20th century) gives insight and language to what a lot of us are feeling. There's something off. People are exhausted and not entirely sure why. Thompson observes that in the midst of the normal duties off life, Americans are increasingly “homebound” and “phone bound.”
Solitude has its place. We all need times to be off and alone. But our technology has severely impacted the experience of solitude. Thompson writes:
"Phones mean that solitude is more crowded than it used to be, and crowds are more solitary. Bright lines once separated being alone and being in a crowd….Now our social time is haunted by the possibility that something more interesting is happening somewhere else, and our downtime is contaminated by the streams and posts and texts of dozens of friends, colleagues, frenemies, strangers.…modern technology’s always-open window to the outside world makes recharging much harder, leaving many people chronically depleted, a walking battery that is always stuck in the red zone. In a healthy world, people who spend lots of time alone would feel that ancient biological cue: I’m alone and sad; I should make some plans. But we live in a sideways world, where easy home entertainment, oversharing online, and stunted social skills spark a strangely popular response: I’m alone, anxious, and exhausted; thank God my plans were canceled.”
This is the culture we inhabit. We’re all affected in various ways. Just like we need to exercise our physical muscles to stay healthy, we need to exercise our social muscles as well. In the words of our Creator: “It’s not good for man to be alone.” How much more should this be the case for Christians? We’ve been saved into a people, a fellowship. The New Testament is replete with “one another” commands, which presuppose a church’s shared life resulting in joyful encouragement and endurance.
Resistance is necessary. As we inhabit “The Anti-Social Century” we must keep front and center the words of the apostle: "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that you may what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:2). This command is an invitation to the good life. A life of "yes"; a life of sending and accepting invitations; a life of showing up, and even having fun! It means being resolved to live a life that brings blessing to others. In this way, the church is good news for a lonely and isolated world. The church is a community that follows Jesus together. As we do, we declare and display the good news of Jesus’ kingdom - a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom.14:17).
As Christians, we need to exercise our social and spiritual muscles at the same time. If you’ve not exercised in a while, it’ll feel hard. But the more you do it, you’ll see that it sure beats the phonebound and homebound life.
One way we cultivate community at Mount Hope Church is through our seasonal community groups. In mid-June our summer community groups will kick off. Will you commit to making one of these groups part of your weekly rhythm? Show up and watch what the Lord does. As we cultivate spiritual friendships, resisting the anti-social century, may we discover joy and discover that the joy of the Lord truly is our strength.
