One of the main things we need to unlearn from our western culture is the “radical individualism” – spirituality is not meant to be an individual sport. We are meant to live and love God in relationship with Him and with each other.
This starts from the beginning, when God refers to Himself in the plural – this may be the royal we, it may be a declaration to the angelic court, or it may even be an early preview of the Trinity. Either way, it’s an immediate indication of the vital nature of relationship at the core of our being, at the core of the Imago Dei.
We are also built to be in relationship in regards to our relationship with creation. It is within the context of Adam’s role as caretaker of creation that God identifies his need for a helper and partner. In fact, Adam being alone is the first thing God identifies in His creation as “not good,” before even the Fall.
So, together, Man and Woman shared the Stewardship of creation, shared the relationship with God – “walking in the Garden in the cool of the day.”
This communality is core to who we are, though many aspects of western culture push against that. Much of this is driven by positive concepts like the rights and dignity of the individual, but if we lose the communal and relational aspects of our life and faith.
And so we seek to value those things that draw us together, even things that may seem frivolous or even secular. From extended greeting time to potlucks to fun group activities, the things that draw us together in the faith are important and God-honoring.
May we experience God’s love more fully as a part of this community.
— Sermon Notes, Dave Sim, Renew Church, Lynnwood WA, April 19, 2026