Earlier this year I got to attend a Dodger game. The game was tied until the 6th inning, when the Dodgers were able to put a run on the board. Then, with two runners on base and two outs, their center fielder lofted a home run over the center field wall to put them in front 4-0. The moment was euphoric. Not only were all the members of my family high-fiving one another, but we all started high-fiving the people sitting around us. Total strangers were sharing hands, patting each other on the back, and even embracing one another. We had suddenly become bonded together because of our common affection for a baseball team. It seems pretty silly that people can be bonded together by something as trivial as being fans of the same sports team. But the fact is that we are all looking for ways to connect with others. We do this through shared interests, shared goals, shared experiences, and other (sometimes superficial) things that we share. The fact that we are so determined to find common bonds points to the fact that we were created to have connections with others. Being made in God’s image means that we were created for connection. For Christians, our common bond is not simply that we look like one another, live near one another, or have the same favorite movies and TV shows. Our common bond is our allegiance to Jesus Christ and to his calling for us. In that way, Jesus gives us a connection with one another that not only provides us with companionship and comfort, but that also drives our mission in life.