I’m convinced there’s not much good in gathering on Sunday morning if it isn’t the organic result of sharing the rest of the week. And that’s the rub: twenty-first-century living is so frenetic and isolating that everyone has a seemingly infinite amount of other commitments that take time away from deeper engagement with people. In my experience, when a congregation meets only once a week, the peripheral aspects (which hymns we sing or the time of the service) become central. People irritate each other over relatively minor details and become convinced that any further sharing is ill-advised.

It’s an uphill task, but I’m still trying to persuade people that we need to share much more.