I think living in a community with only Christ as our common-denominator is scary stuff. It has been abused and traditionalized and lethal for many. I believe trusting others makes us vulnerable, and if we commit to a larger cause....we begin to loose control. If life was completely about our comfort and our preferences, then avoiding such potential for manipulation is primary. If we follow something larger, something deeper and less immediate, we might be able to sense the purpose of God to work within the midst of a village. The experiences of control, manipulation and fear to keep others in line is not a Christian owned concept, but we have done a great job of refining it for a modern era. I think if we take the logic/faith leap to believe that a healthy Church could exist, if we determine to fight for integrity (trust-respect-patience etc..) in the friendship- relationship areas of our church lives, we might begin to change things. I believe it will take extreme courage to shift from living lives motivated primarily by fear and avoidance of risk, into compassionate, sacrificial and loving reflections of Jesus. I also believe that the incubator for such changes can only be found in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Not a more intelligent approach or a intellectual dissection of the failings of Christian kind for the past 2000 years. In fact, I believe taking such a risk (living in a community of faith) forms a fertile space for us to learn to live differently. Establishing a place where people do act justly, extend mercy and walk humbly with their God is the original ideal. Its a risk for sure to expose yourself to ignorant, dogmatic and short-sighted people, but its those knuckle-heads in the village and outside of the village that make up a balance for community that can be really healthy. I believe the concept of a Christian community that is accepting and authentic can become real and true, but it will take an extra-ordinary band of courageous believers to jump start it. Not idealistic bible thumpers with a presumed spiritual illumination that rises above all others, but broken believers who recognize the imperfection of man as the tapestry of God to weave together something beautiful and unique and life-giving. As a pastor of a 4- year old church plant in Spring Hill, TN. Im not naïve to the point Mr. Miller is making here. Its legit and not to be ignored. Its just that after considering the options and considering the risk to make my own play-book, Im left with returning to the basis of my faith. Scripture. And to adapt scripture to fit my comfort puts me in an untenable place, Im left with no other conclusion but to risk being hurt and commit to a community of Faith that I believe God has inspired to exist. Then as a leader, its my job to stay alert and accountable to the potential for our little community to go off the rails like many others and become an unhealthy village. Not on my watch! Fr. Brad Mathias - Four Winds Mission Col 1:18-20 (Message) He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 13:49:17 +0000
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