Recovering Community
- bordenmscott
- Oct 4, 2021
- 12 min read
Updated: Oct 19, 2022
Thanks to everyone who is taking time to read these "Overflow" posts! I hope they can bring some more depth to certain themes and be helpful to you along your faith journey. Now that a few of these have gone out into the world I'd love to hear back from you if you are checking them out. Let me know what you like, what you wish was different, or any other feedback!
Here's what you'll find this week:
Recovering Community Summary
Loneliness Leftovers
Is Faith Personal Or Communal?
Quote Bank
Devotional Moment
Recovering Community Summary
This Sunday we focused on community. You can watch, read, or listen to the sermon with the links below (just note that this post sometimes goes live a bit before the video or audio versions of the sermon are available.)
You can read this week's message here:
You can also listen to it here or watch it on YouTube here.
On Sunday we explored what it might look like to recover our sense of church community in the months to come by looking at what happened when the early church was heavily disrupted by the first major persecution that they faced. When Saul of Tarsus began arresting and killing Christian in Jerusalem most of the believers there fled the city.
That would have been a traumatic time, especially for a group of people who (according to Acts 2) were worshiping together daily, and meeting together in each others homes and having meals together all the time. Suddenly they were scattered. It's not the same as shut-downs and restrictions that left church buildings closed and congregations separated from each other at different times during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are some parallels there which show us certain qualities of Christian community.
First, the Church chose to share life together. Christian community didn’t begin as an agreement to join an organization or institution that a person may or may not engage with all that actively. It began with a deeper sharing of life together with others people who were passionately convinced of Jesus’ resurrection and His impending return to restore all things.
Second, the Church was able to thrive in adversity. Being scattered only spread the Gospel message to new places and caused new faith communities to form. The pandemic has done some of this as well, with new online ministries, new community engagement to meet different needs, and some churches will reinvent themselves in the coming weeks and months serve people with new questions and new needs. Spirit-filled followers of Jesus will thrive in this adversity and lead faithful churches to a good future.
We never need to fear that the Church will be overcome by difficult circumstances. The only cause for concern is whether we are actually exhibiting the faith that will allow our church to be among those that will endure and bless their communities and wider world.
Third, the Church rehabilitates the unworthy. Saul of Tarsus was a persecutor, terrorizer, and chief enemy of the church. He was not worthy to be allowed in, called brother, or sent out to preach and be a missionary. Except that Jesus decided he was. “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles…” To quote from this week's message:
That’s a thing we dare not forget about this spiritual community we call the Church. None of us is worthy. Is there anyone sitting here who, if someone knew enough about you, couldn’t prove that you are a hypocrite, that you fall far short of what it means to be a Christian?
We’re not worthy. We’re in no position to look down on anyone. And we have no right to write anyone off. Because we know it’s all about what Jesus has done, not what we do. We are worthy because Jesus says so when we belong to Him.
Many Christians struggle to find the kind of spiritual community the Bible describes. Churches can feel more like stale institutions than vibrant communities where deep fellowship is found. There isn't a clear blueprint on exactly how to improve our sense of community as we rebuild from COVID-19 at Faith Baptist Church, but there are a few simple things that anyone can commit to doing that would make them community-builders.
What if each month you committed to doing the following, focusing on people you don't know well or who are on the margins of the church?
1. Once a month - Invitation to a meal, coffee, or activity.
2. Twice a month - Acts of service (ushering, kids ministry, building maintenance, participating in worship, meeting community needs, etc.)
3. Three times a month - Introductions or conversations to learn about people’s life and interests.
4. Four times a month - Phone calls (or texts or online messages) to check on, encourage, or offer to pray.
We need God's help to recover our sense of community in the wake of the pandemic because it is precious and essential to both the life and witness of the Church. I'll leave you with two powerful quotes in this regard:
"Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful - Christian community is the final apologetic." - Francis Schaeffer
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - Jesus, from John 13:34-35
Loneliness Leftovers
I spoke briefly in the week's message about the loneliness epidemic in some Western countries that was identified as a serious problem even before COVID-19. Vivek Murthy, the 19th Surgeon General of the United States, wrote a book on the subject and considers loneliness to be a public health concern on par with heart disease or diabetes or obesity. And that was before the pandemic! A third of American men over 45 are lonely. One in five millennial kids (in 2006, when more millennials were still kids) said they had no friends at all, and 30% said that they "always" or "often" feel lonely. Our ever-connected social media-driven world has made things worse, not better. White men like me are the highest-risk group who report the fewest friends.
Here is what Dr. Murthy writes about lonliness:
I think part of the reason we underestimate the loneliness of people is that it’s often hidden. Loneliness, unfortunately, carries stigma with it. People who feel lonely often are ashamed to admit it. They think it’s equivalent to admitting that they are not likable or that they’re socially insufficient in some way.
It can be hard to admit loneliness, even to a spouse. We can be at a party, surrounded by people, and still feel lonely. We often look around us and see people who are seemingly leading happy lives—certainly on their social media feeds—and we assume that we’re the only ones who are struggling.
Also, loneliness is hard to see because it doesn’t always look like the stereotype of a person sitting alone in a corner. Loneliness can actually manifest in different ways with different people. It can look like irritability and anger, fatigue, reclusiveness, depression, or anxiety. We may chalk these up to other conditions or concerns, but many of these states have their roots (at least partially) in loneliness.
A lot of things might account for why men, in particular, are battling loneliness, especially from middle age onward. Some have argued that men simply have a larger network of less close relationships. They are "builders" of looser connections, while women are "bonders" who form deeper friendships in a smaller circle. Friendship doesn't have to look the same for different people and among men and women, and I saw one author make a good argument that men don't necessarily need more friends to pour out their deepest secrets to, they should just go mountain biking with their buddies and get a therapist for the heavy stuff. He may have a point about the value of therapy, but I think some closer friendships would do men a lot of good.
So what's getting in the way? In some cases it might be cultural expectations that men don't get close with other men. There's also the fact that both men and women are putting in more time at work than ever and parents are spending ever more time with their children, especially dads, who have tripled the time they spend with their kids since two generations ago. (They haven't caught up to moms or anything, but they've made some big strides.) This accelerates the natural phenomena of losing friendships over time. We tend to drift away and lose track of friends through physical moves, major life transitions, or even conflict and death. Most people don't make new friends as fast as they lose old ones, especially if building and maintaining friendships isn't a high priority for their limited time.
We need people we trust and can be open with, and if you have no friends who fit the bill what will you do? In some cases it leads to people looking for an unhealthy and unfair amount of emotional support from their spouse, or leaving major struggles simmering until they lead to destructive outcomes. This could be a good time for a check-up. How many close friends to do you have? What relationships have you allowed to lapse? Is it time to take a fresh look at friendship?
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Me, or We?
I'm starting to see more and more evidence that there truly is a cult of individualism in Canada and the United States, and I fear that the Church may be contributing to it more than combatting it.
Acts 2 tells us about the communal nature of the early Church in Jerusalem, describing their life together like this: "All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
- Acts 2:44-47
The early Church was actually unsustainably communal. They believed that Jesus' return was immanent so they weren't overly concerned about the long-term results of their way of life. They sold land and possessions to keep everyone afloat while they devoted all of their time to learning, worshiping, and fellowship with each other. Their misunderstanding of what Jesus meant about His return probably saved many of their lives. When a Jewish rebellion led to Roman legions coming to sack Jerusalem in 70 CE the early Christians had few possessions left to tie them to the city and largely escaped its destruction.
This example has been a model for some Christians over the centuries, which is why we still have monasteries and religious orders today where people live and work and worship together. But this type of communal living isn't realistic for a lot of Christians who do need to plan on the world not necessarily ending any time soon. We have jobs to do, lawns to mow, and calendars to manage. I don't think that's bad, but it becomes a problem if our attitudes and understanding of our place in the world shift to where we only think of "me" and never of "we."
The Western world is highly individualistic. We care deeply about human rights and individual liberties. I value both of those things. But I fear that many people no longer hold those in tension against our responsibilities and commitment to our community, our nation, or the wider world. We talk about Christian faith being a personal relationship with Jesus without also emphasizing how that faith makes us part of the body of Christ and the holy obligations that go with this.
But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. (1st Corinthians 12:24-26)
I think there is a cult of individualism that is competing against Christianity, and it is hurting us. A lot of anti-vaccination sentiment comes out of this. It's foundation is the idea that the only real priority is me, and I’ll only act for the common good if feels good to me. It's my life, my body, my choice. Never mind that everything I do effects others to some degree.
This individualism also leads to overestimating our own ability and wisdom, which is why there are so many people who believe that they understand the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines better than the overwhelming majority of doctors, researchers, and public health experts.
The same can happen in religion. There are many people who consider themselves Christians but don’t understand or profess some of the simplest and most essential beliefs of historical Christian faith. Many Christians seem to think we have total freedom to invent our own personal versions of faith that match our politics and preferences, even if they can’t stand up to basic Biblical critique or two thousand years of Christian tradition. And that’s without any training in Bible interpretation, Greek and Hebrew, or theology in general.
Gordon Fee writes: Christian ethics is not primarily an individualistic, one-on-one-with-God brand of personal holiness; rather it has to do with living the life of the Spirit in Christian community and in the world.
It’s a Baptist distinctive belief that we should believe something to the satisfaction of our conscience - we’re supposed to do the work to figure out our faith and not adopt something we can’t agree with. But we’re not supposed to discount the collective wisdom of the Church or knowledgeable Christian leaders and scholars and make it all up as we go along.
Given how much the Bible has to say to Christians about being one body and the example of the collectivism of the Hebrew people in their relationship with God you would think that the Church would be one of the best defences against the cult of individualism. But in some cases people who identify as Christians are the worst offenders, including among the anti-vaccination movement, particularly in the United States.
Two thousand years ago the Apostle Paul had some thoughts for people like that:“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. You are not your own; you were bought at a price." (1 Corinthians 6, selected)
Quote Bank
Here are some deep thoughts on community that didn't end up getting used elsewhere:
“When we claim and constantly reclaim the truth of being the chosen ones, we soon discover within ourselves a deep desire to reveal to others their own chosenness. Instead of making us feel that we are better, more precious or valuable than others, our awareness of being chosen opens our eyes to the chosenness of others. That is the great joy of being chosen: the discovery that others are chosen as well. In the house of God there are many mansions. There is a place for everyone - a unique, special place. Once we deeply trust that we ourselves are precious in God's eyes, we are able to recognize the preciousness of others and their unique places in God's heart.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen
Christian community is the place where we keep the flame of hope alive among us and take it seriously so that it can grow and become stronger in us.
- Henri Nouwen
Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it is a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I have, by God’s grace, learned as a member of the Christian community what is the nature of God’s mercy, which does not leave me to overcome my sin by my own effort, so I have something to say to the fellow-sufferer who does not know where to look for hope. And what I have to say depends utterly on my willingness not to let go of that awareness of myself that reminds me where I start each day—not as a finished saint but as a needy person still struggling to grow.
- Rowan Williams
Order your soul; reduce your wants; live in charity; associate in Christian community; obey the laws; trust in Providence.
- Saint Augustine
Devotional Moment
This week I struggled with music. I wanted to pick some songs for our Sunday service that fit with my theme of community so I looked for some that focused on "we" rather than "I" and reminded us that we come to God in community, not simply as individuals in a relationship with God on our own. That wasn't easy. Most of the songs we are used to at Faith Baptist, as well as almost everything most popular in Western Churches, focus mainly on "I", and rarely on "We." How many worship songs can you think of that emphasize the community of faith and don't use "I" very often? Send me some suggestions if you have them!
This failure of mine in music selection reminded me of an article I'd read recently lamenting that our modern worship music fails to capture many of the themes of the Psalms. There are basically no popular worship songs that bring the emphasis the Psalmists do on doubt, struggle, and themes around justice, to name a few.
All this led me to purchasing two albums this week from Mike Janzen, who fits right into our them of recovery. It was his recovery process from a concussion that led to him having to arrange and play music very differently over the past few years. (You can read a bit more about him and his story on his website.) During this time he has been working on arrangements of Psalms, and I am really appreciating the result. I've shared a couple of his songs in online worship services before, but for today's devotional moment here is a new one, and the Psalm that goes with it to read and reflect upon. God bless you today!
Psalm 113
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
Prayer
That you, with steadfast love, would keep,
Your watch around us while we sleep.
From evil dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Tread underfoot our deadly foe,
That we no sinful thought may know.
O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, your only Son;
And Holy Spirit, by whose breath,
Our souls are raised to life from death.
(From the Church of England's Night Prayer)
Comments