11Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.   1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

I’m impressed at how Paul and his friends longed to be with the churches of Jesus. Paul’s prayer here shows Christian community is not a natural affection or brotherhood. Rather it is a gift of the Gospel through Jesus. As our hearts are turned towards Him, as our hearts are healed and brought into real holiness before God, we are drawn forward into His character together.

Many of us long for community but are unwilling to do what it actually takes. Adjusting is painful and requires honesty, forgiveness, rootedness, servanthood,

and time.

Bastille, sings, of the longing for healing in community:

When all of your flaws and all of my flaws

Are laid out one by one

A wonderful part of the mess that we made

We pick ourselves undone

All of your flaws and all of my flaws

They lie there hand in hand

Ones we’ve inherited, ones that we learned

They pass from man to man

There’s a hole in my soul

I can’t fill it I can’t fill it

There’s a hole in my soul

Can you fill it? Can you fill it?

Jesus is filling our souls and healing us. The mystery is that He has also chosen to bring much of that healing in community and not just in a solitary walk.

Listen to Bastille.