community basics

I realize that the idea of being in Community as a spiritual discipline might appear to be a bit of a stretch.  Spiritual disciplines are supposed to be those endeavors that we undertake which will draw us closer to God.  Disciplines such as prayer, service and Sabbath seem to fit the description of a spiritual discipline much better than does being in community.  Even so, I believe that being in community is not only a spiritual discipline, but is a discipline which is desperately needed in the culture in which we live.  First though let’s begin with the basic understanding of community in scripture.

The idea of community is rooted in creation itself.  First, according to the Genesis account, human beings were not some “add-on” to creation, as if creation itself was simply a place for God to put people.  Instead human beings were an integral part of the warp and woof of God’s creative endeavors.  What this means is that we are in “community” or connectedness with every living thing.  Second, in the first creation account (Genesis 1), human beings are created as a two-some which tells us that human beings are intended to be linked together.  In the second creation account (Genesis 2) the male is made first but it becomes apparent to God that the male is incomplete on his own (ain’t that the truth).  God then makes all sorts of animals to complete the male, but none suffices.  It is not until God makes another human creature, the female, that the male is finished.  Again then, scripture at its most basic level reminds us that we are created to be in community.

The importance of community continues in each of the saga stories of Genesis 3-11.  In the Cain and Able story we witness the horrific results of the breaking of community through murder.  The image of connectedness is so powerful that the earth itself cries out in pain because of Able’s death.  In the Noah story we witness God saving representatives of the entire worldly community (Noah’s family and the animals) by which God would begin to rebuild creation after human beings had broken community through violence.  Finally, in the Tower of Babel story we witness what happens when community believes itself capable of living without a connection with God; they end up doing foolish things.   Woven in and through these stories are genealogies which remind us that every generation is connected (in community) with the generations before and after it.
Community becomes the focal point of the rest of Genesis as well.  Once we have left the sagas of Genesis 3-11 we encounter Abram (who later becomes Abraham) and his family.  Often we want to speak of Abram as if he was all by himself.  We are told however that he was not alone.  Though Abram was instructed by God to pick up stakes and go to the land to which God would lead him, the story understands that the community of Abram (Sara, Lot, slaves and animals) were to go as well.  In a sense, Abram’s family was the first cell in what was to become a multicellular organism called the saved people of God.  We know this because in Genesis 12:2 God promises Abram that God will make Abram into a great nation (community); one of the purposes of which was to bless all the other families (communities) of the earth.  This promise binds all families of the earth together into a single community of blessing. 

This sense of community is also found at the end of the scriptures in the Book of Revelation.  Though Revelation is filled with terror, it is also filled with hope; hope which comes to fruition in renewed community.  We first witness the creation of a renewed community in Revelation 7:4 when God places God’s seal upon the 144,000 of Israel.  This is followed (7:9ff) by a description of a limitless number of people from “every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” who are singing praises to God.  These people represent God’s new, redeemed community.  Finally at the close of Revelation in Chapters 21 and 22 we read of the new heaven and earth in which humanity lives intimately with God and with a restored creation.  This conclusion to the scriptures allows us to see the importance of community in that God will not rest until true community between God, humanity and creation is fully restored. 

community in the new testament

While most Christians would agree that community is important to our life of faith, some might wonder how community can be a spiritual discipline.  The answer is that being in community becomes a spiritual discipline by living appropriately with God, neighbor and creation.  In some sense then, being in community, as we will see, is a cumulative discipline.  It is developed by putting many of the other spiritual disciplines into practice. 

Scripture tells us that the first step in practicing being in community begins with God’s people deepening their relationship with God.  This is initiated by the people proclaiming that they will love the Lord their God with all of their heart, soul, and strength.  (Deuteronomy 6:5/Luke 10:27)  This proclamation does not negate love of others.  It is a reminder that being in community is built upon the foundation of loving God first.  The community then engages in the other God-orienting spiritual disciplines such as worship, prayer, fasting, Sabbath and meditation.  Each of these practices deepens the community’s connection with God.

The second step scripture offers us as a means of practicing being in community focuses on deepening our relationship with neighbor.  In some ways this second step may be the most difficult because it demands that people love their neighbor as themselves. (Leviticus 19:18; Luke 22:39)  This concept is especially prominent in the Law of Moses (God’s rules for appropriate living) as found in the Book of Deuteronomy.  This Book includes regulations that require care for the poor, the widow, the orphan, the blind, the stranger and the sojourner.    The Law requires that people act honestly, speak the truth and even protect slaves who have escaped from their masters.  Justice is not to be perverted through bribes and even the king is bound by the law.
Jesus continued this call to being in community by loving neighbor in both actions and words.  Examples of Jesus loving neighbor included healing the woman with the flow of blood (Luke 8:43-48) and ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19) as well as forgiving those who crucified him (Luke 22:34).  Each of these actions allowed individuals to be restored to being in community with God and others.  Examples of Jesus encouraging loving neighbor through his words included the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) and his call to serve the “least of these” (Matthew 25:31-46).   In some ways Jesus’ entire ministry was a demonstration of loving those neighbors who had been excluded from community in order that they might be reconnected with God and others.

Loving neighbor was also a part of the life of the early church.  In the Book of Acts (4:32-35) we read that the early church held everything in common in order that no one went without food or shelter.  The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Rome reminded his readers to be devoted to one another (12:10), honor one another above themselves (12:10), live in harmony with one another (12:16), build up one another (14:19), and accept one another (15:7).  In I Corinthians (11:17 ff) Paul took the church to task for not sharing their food with one another.

Finally being in community includes caring for creation.  We witness this first in Genesis (2:15) where Adam is placed in Eden in order to tend and care for it.  The language used in this passage is focused on being a steward of the land.  In Leviticus 25:3-5 God’s people are told that they are to till the land for six years and then on the seventh year they are to give the land a Sabbath rest.  In Revelation we read of God destroying those who destroyed the earth (11:18) and then creating a renewed heaven and earth on which people can live (Chapters 21-22).  Though care for creation has not always been at the forefront of Protestant theology, it is an inherently Biblical concept.

community practices

This article will first be published on September 11, 2013, the twelfth anniversary of the attacks on our nation by a small group of terrorists.  While the immediate response to the attack was to draw all Americans together in community, it was not long before it began to tear our nation apart.  What I mean by that is that many of our citizens began to look suspiciously at any citizen who appeared to of Middle Easter origin.  People refused to fly with women in hijabs or Sikhs in their traditional turbans.  Entire communities rose up against the legal building of mosques or Islamic centers, claiming that they would be breeding grounds for terrorists.  This fear and its accompanying rhetoric then extended beyond those of Middle Eastern background to anyone who did not look “American” enough.  The challenge that is still before us is to continue working toward building community in which all human beings are valued for their innate worth as children of God.

We begin building this kind of community by connecting ourselves with God who created all of us and who loved the world enough to send the only Son into the world in order to save it.  Connecting with God comes through an ever deepening life of prayer and meditation, and regular attendance in worship (we have covered both prayer and worship earlier in this series).  These actions attune our lives to God and God’s desires for us.  They also allow us to respond to God in thoughts, words, songs and actions.  While these practices may seem somewhat awkward to many of us because we may never have practiced them, over time they can become an important and meaningful part of our lives.

We continue building community by developing caring relationships within the body of Christ.  We can do this through interacting with others before and after worship, being part of a Bible study, Dinners for Eight or covenant group (you can find out more about these in First Things), coming to church events, assisting with our All Abilities Inclusion Ministry, or volunteering for one of the various mission activities in which the church engages.  These activities allow us to come to know one another on a deeper level than would otherwise be possible through a Sunday morning greeting.  By so doing we can share our hopes, joys and sorrows in such a way that we are bound together as authentic community. 
Community occurs not only within the walls and activities of our church but it is built within the community.  Part of our tradition as Presbyterians is that we are to be engaged in the wider community.  We have founded colleges, universities, community assistance programs and have been engaged in the political process.  We do so because we believe that God calls us to be making a positive difference in the world around us.  Thus part of being in community is to connect and work with those who are striving to bring about meaningful change in our world.  This can be done by engaging in Interfaith work, volunteering or sitting on the boards of helping organizations, tutoring at Alcott Elementary School or in any number of other ways.

Being in Community continues with building community internationally.  While the problems facing our world often appear overwhelming there are simply ways in which we can build a closer knit community.  One of my favorites organizations (and there are many, many others) is KIVA (kiva.org).  KIVA allows individuals to make loans (as small as $25) to farmers, small entrepreneurs or homeowners all over the world.  As the loans are repaid (they have a 99% repayment rate) you have the opportunity to loan the repayment to others.  In this way it is possible to be in community with people across the globe in an ongoing fashion.

Finally being in community means taking care of the world in which we live.  Whether this looks like being active in environmental organizations, participating in River Rouge cleanups, recycling Styrofoam here at the church or going green at home, we can be in community with God’s creation of which we are a part.