"And let us consider how we may spur one another on
toward love and good deeds,
not giving up meeting together,
as some are in the habit of doing,
but encouraging one another."
toward love and good deeds,
not giving up meeting together,
as some are in the habit of doing,
but encouraging one another."
In Emmaus Road, we use the language of the road a lot. Jesus walks alongside us; we are sent to walk alongside others; we encounter the resurrected Lord on this journey. One central truth about the nature of this journey: it includes good company; fellow travelers. As individuals, we each make personal, authentic faith decisions. None of us, though, come to these decisions, or keep faith commitments, all alone. In the scriptures, Jesus is with his disciples as a group. The Apostles are sent forth in partnerships. The epistles of Paul are sent to households and churches. This faith, this religion, is a shared venture. But already, by the time Hebrews 10:23-26 was penned, the social glue holding believers together was feeling the forces of being pulled apart. So it goes with us. There is far less social glue holding Christians together in our place and time than a generation ago, but this is not an entirely new problem.
Why is keeping good company and staying on the road together so challenging for us?
Is there something sacred God offers us in the midst of being present together in Christ, that the writer of Hebrews understood?
How do we honor and value this gift?
