Valentines Day is just around the corner and this holiday brings forth the picture of a loved one - an important relationship. Trouble is, modern society has no concept of relationships and community.

Valentines Day is just around the corner and this holiday brings forth the picture of a loved one - an important relationship. Trouble is, modern society has no concept of relationships and community.

Of course, it is not just modern society that misses the concept of relationships and community. Eve was formed for Adam because Adam was alone. This created the first relationship and the model of the family. A family is a community. Groups of families become larger communities.

The story of Lamech at the end of Genesis 4 shows the break down of this picture. Lamech has two wives and has killed a man. Lamech has broken both the prime relationship of family and the extended relationship of community.

Things have changed little over the 8-10,000 years or so.

I am a professional web designer / developer, which means I receive income for my work (some times). Becaue of this, I watch the technical blogs. One recently applauded the community of "techies" with a comment similar to this:

During the last session I stood in the back and watched how people were sharing information. Blogs. IM. Email. All live. People are so connected now.

This observation was made in the midst of a conference. Conference are frequent, but not everyday events for most people. In fact two or three a year is probably the limit except for those who attend as part of their work.

Notice, however, how the community is formed -- blogs, instant messaging, email. Community and relationships have become technical. They are second had if you will. Blogs in particular reach the community but not the relationship. People want to be connected. "It is not good for man to be alone." Trouble is, people are so confused and mixer-up by sin the have lost site of the fact that relationships are made of people who see each other frequently and talk to each other in person or over a telephone (thus, to some extent the drive behind cell phones.) Communities can possible exist to some extent long distance, but relationships will die.

In fact, relationships die all of the time. As people become removed from each other via technology, they lose the emotional ties that help to cement the relationships. I think people long for this close intimate contact which is the drive behind so much cell phone usage. The personal relationships as God intended have been lost. People no longer relate well one-to-one and have turned to cell phones as a method of staying attached. On the other hand, each younger generation finds other reasons for cell phones -- text messaging, sharing pictures, watching videos, listening to music. These are another step away from being attached in a relationship, thus, weakening the bounds.

This leads back to God. The relationship of prime importance is between you and God. Your second greatest relationship is between you and your spouse. Next is your parents, then your siblings and somewhere in here are people like almost spouses. Then comes friends and this is where the church community becomes so important.

The glue behind all relationships is the Holy Spirit. The Trinity models this for us in the Gospels. You cannot maintain a good relationship without the Holy Spirit. Since the church is mostly composed of believing people the Holy Spirit can tie them together into a living community. This is one of the great joys of salvation, being a part of this great community called the church. The church is much more than this, but it is a wonderful community of relationships.

If you are saved but have been avoiding church for one reason or another, now is the time to return. Only in the body of believers, the body of Christ, can you find the friendship, relationship, and community you so desperately seek.

Jim A