When ministry relationships feel fragile, remember this:
Community isn’t something we hold together by effort or agreement — it’s something already held together by Jesus.
Scripture
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
— Matthew 18:20 (NLT)
Reflection
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once reminded us that Christian community is not an ideal we must realize, but a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.
That means our teams, our churches, our ministries — even at their most imperfect — are already grounded in something deeper than shared goals or good chemistry.
They’re grounded in Christ Himself.
When a community is wounded, we often rush to fix things — to rebuild trust, to reestablish closeness, to do something.
But Bonhoeffer calls us to start somewhere deeper: by recognizing that Jesus is already present among us.
Even in tension or distance, He hasn’t stepped away.
In every honest conversation, every small act of grace, every moment we choose to listen rather than defend — He is quietly at work, making things new.
Our confidence isn’t in our ability to create harmony.
It’s in His faithful presence — the healer who stands between us, transforming even what’s been broken into grace.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the one who gathers and restores Your people.
Help us to see You between us — in our words and our silences,
in our differences and in the work we share.
Where we have been hurt, bring healing.
Where we have grown distant, draw us close again in Your love.
Teach us to live not from our wounds, but from Your reconciling presence.
Amen.
