The social mores of our society are well known but rarely spoken about. We want our space. We give people their space. Touching is for family, and close friends. But when those customs break down, there can be powerful connections that remind us of our common human bond.

For seven years, photographer Richard Renaldi has traveled the United States, photographing strangers posing together. His strategy uses a large, old fashioned camera (the kind with a hood), and his instructions to those sitting for him are simple: to touch one another any way they feel comfortable. The resulting images are beautiful, human reminders that though we may be strangers, we share a deep bond—as members of a common human family.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Isn't this what the church can be? Connections deeper than blood? A place where strangers can touch one another, a reminder that we all share a common Father. Truly, as the Sioux saying so simply puts it, "We are all related."