Community

   I was called in for Jury Duty in June.  I arrived with, I would guess, fifty people, checked in and waited.

   The roll was taken and we waited some more.

   Then we were told that the courtroom wasn’t ready for us yet.

   I noticed that almost everyone had sat with at least two or three seats between them.  Each person was occupied with their own thoughts or projects.

   About 2.5 hours after we arrived, the juror “wrangler” came in, took attendance again and announced that what looked like a very long case had ended with a plea deal. 

   We were thanked for our service and excused.

   We left with hardly a word between us, and yet I felt that we had bonded around a shared experience.

   We, the Church, are a community of shared words and experiences.  How do we share that community with the world?