I don’t play a lot of video games. I never have (comparatively to many I have known). I was never allowed to have a Nintendo when I was a child (it has scarred me for life), and I have played things on and off, but I’ve never been a gamer. I do go through phases with games on my iPhone. I’ve taken my turn at Candy Crush Saga, for instance (many of you will have no idea what that is, I know). But in all the cases of playing games on my iPhone or iPad, they have been solo games – games I play by myself, like a game of solitaire…ooh solitaire, I had my time with computer solitaire too…

Anyway, this summer when we were visiting with our Pennsylvania family at the beach, my nephews introduced me to a game they play on their devices called Clash of Clans. I knew of the game because of their copious advertisements on Facebook and

elsewhere, but I didn’t know much about it. They explained it to me, and asked me to join the clan that their dad started for them. My brother in law is also a pastor, and he started his own clan so that he could play with them and keep an eye on his boys, something that is absolutely necessary in the public arena in which such games operate. So, I downloaded the app, and started building my village, raiding other people’s villages, growing along the way, and having fun.

In those early days there may have been about ten in our clan – four of us in the family, and a few others that the boys knew. Everyone in the clan had some kind of real world connection. But then the clan blew up. We swelled to 50 members before we knew it and we didn’t know the vast majority of them. A lot of folks came and went. We have rules about swearing and bullying, and we kick people out that don’t follow our rules. Over time, what has happened is that we’ve built a little online community of nice people, and I’ve gotten attached to our little ragtag bunch. And I never saw it coming.

At one point a month or so ago, I wasn’t sure I would keep playing. I liked the interaction with my nephews and my brother in law (you can chat with clan-mates while you’re online), but I wasn’t sure it was doing much else for me. And then there was a conflict in the clan. People (not the family folks) started fighting, someone stormed off, and people expressed real regret about the fracturing of our clan. Heck, I felt real regret and sadness when one of our earliest members left in a huff. I even left the clan to chase after him to make sure he was ok. My brother in law knew I was leaving to do it, and that I would be back, but others did not. I got a real-world text on my phone from my brother in law to give me a heads up that my departure had confused and grieved a couple of members, as one of the known leaders. When I came back there was a truly heartfelt conversation between several of us in which we admitted how much we liked what our clan had become and that we wanted to preserve it. One young man articulated how helpful it was for him to have “found us”; a safe place to be in the midst of a game, but around real people who genuinely cared about each other.

That’s when I realized that we had created a community, and a Christian community at that. I realized that this little game, and my time spent chatting to these strangers (who range from a young age of about 10 to the oldest known member at age 48, and encompasses both genders and several countries) was actually making a difference to someone besides myself. I had no idea this was possible, but in that moment I realized it wasn’t just a game and I needed to stick around. Community is so much more important than we often realize.

Last week Canon Frank Logue posted a Starbucks ad to his Facebook page, wondering out loud why the church is not nearly as effective as a company like Starbucks when given one minute to say something to the world. The ad (which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZVCLVGymmo) suggests what you find at Starbucks every day, and nowhere in the video does it mention coffee. Instead it shows people getting together…people in relationship. Granted all of them have coffee in their hands or nearby, but they are on to something, and it’s something we often take for granted. What their sweet little video conveys is more than a cup of coffee; Starbucks is a place for community, for being around other people, for being touched, for laughing – for all sorts of things that come with relationship. That’s not to say that people don’t go to Starbucks alone – but they tapped into something very important.

I don’t want any of us to underestimate the power of community as an aspect of the Body of Christ. It matters that we are seen and see others on Sundays and at other times. It matters that we follow a set of rules for decent community standards. It matters that we have good coffee…oops, Starbucks marketing got in the way there. My main point is that you matter to this community and to others, and don’t take that for granted. Community is important enough for a 14 year old boy to grab his iPod as soon as he gets off school to see who is online. It’s enough to make two friends drink coffee that is way overpriced. Community is what gets some people out of bed on Sunday. Community is at the heart of who we are and who we’re called to be. I’ll see you in Starbu…er, I mean church!

Tom+

Have compassion, O most merciful Lord, on all who are lonely and desolate. Be thou their Comforter and Friend; give them such earthly solace as thou seest to be best for them; and bring them to the fuller knowledge of thy love; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.