I just started reading a book about small groups and building community, and I came across this description of the cross as a symbol of community. I thought it was worth sharing.
“The very shape of the cross suggests the two main transactions that were effected through it. The upright post stands for the restoration of our community with God. God reached down from the holiness of his transcendence above, into the abyss of our human need in order to reconcile us to himself….The arms of Jesus were stretched on that horizontal beam, and his servant hands nailed to it. His extended arms reach out from the crossbar to all who want reconciliation with God in order that we may also be reconciled to one another, forming one body in his embrace of love. Perfect community is to be found at the intersection of the two segments of the cross, where those who are reconciled with God are reconciled together–where we love God with all we have and we love our neighbor as ourselves.”
From Groups: the life-giving power of community by John Ortberg, Laurie Pederson & Judson Poling
Lutheran Ladies Connection 