You can’t love one another if you don’t spend time together. A pastor-friend this week told me about the book “Refrigerator Rights”, that talks about friendship that is so close that when you come into the other guy’s home, you wouldn’t be overstepping if you opened his refrigerator and made yourself a snack. That kind of closeness takes time—lots of time together—to develop.

Which we Californians are slow to do. People from out of the area notice quickly that we’re very open up front, to a point. But then, after the smiles and happy talk, we go to our own homes and close the doors, and enjoy our own private world.

Facebook doesn’t take the place of being face to face. It says in John 1 that the Word was eternally face to face with the Father—Face to face becomes the standard for our fellowship, too.

That’s why the chili lunch last week was so good: the chili was great, but mainly it meant hanging around, face to face, for a long time. Take the opportunities that exist at New Church to get close to others: Sunday in worship, of course, but also in small groups, and sharing meals together, too. “This is the way everyone will know that you are my disciples,” Jesus said. “That you love one another.”