Community

Yesterday morning, I was engaged in my morning routine of drinking coffee and watching my morning show (almost said early morning but the clock tells me I am not an early riser).  Anyway, the hour I watch the show, the news is minimal, the reporting not award winning, yet, I never try another morning show.  That particular morning it became clear why I watch the show. 

They were doing a segment on a music video made about breast cancer, a real life issue for one of the co-hosts.  After the video played and the group in the studio came on camera, there were four individuals sitting on a couch, in tears (including the men).  I watched the depth of relationship, of love, of community, displayed on camera and realized that I watch this show because of the engaged relationships of the hosts.  I somehow feel like part of their community.  I have seen them overcome their fears.  I have laughed at their puns and jabs to one another.  In the midst of telling us the news we believe we want to hear, sharing the weather that never changes every 20 minutes or so, and giving us mini concerts from the bands I have no clue what made them so popular, these hosts embody community.  Between the takes, we the viewers get tidbits of their lives.  We learn of their families, their pets, and some stories they share are personal.  I have watched them support one another in difficult stories and encourage one another to achieve goals.

But when that hour of my day is over, it is time to engage in the work before me for that day.  I turn the TV off and the community I observed is disconnected from my life, but not the lessons I learn from those two to five minute glimpses between the news stories.  I do not know if the relationships they show us in their morning show are as real and connected as they appear on my TV, that is not the point for me.  I have not connected to these hosts through social media to follow them or be connected to them in community, as that is not the point for me, either.  For me it is that as I watch each morning I can see how human beings are intended to relate to one another.  One might say it is a foretaste.  I am reminded that community grows when we are willing to risk ourselves for others in love.  These hosts open themselves to each other, make themselves available to one another, and we the viewer get to witness how relationships form and grow.  We see the nourishment that love gives to lives.

What we do not see is the hard work of relationship building and community.  It is why when the hour is over, I disconnect from that community and engage in the work in the community to which I have been called to serve.  Community is what creation is all about.  God created a universe that only works well when all work towards the good of the universe.  When we separate our needs, or more specifically our wants, from the needs of the community, we harm the community. 

One quick example.  I have been walking Abby recently.  (Have not yet made this a good daily habit, but working towards that goal.)  We make a round trip from parsonage to the church and graveyard and back, about 2 miles.  In those two miles I observe trash along the roadside.  I know which fast food restaurants are frequented.  I get a glimpse of the beer some passengers (I hope just the passengers) enjoy.  This trash is not only inconvenient (having to walk around it or through it), unsightly, but it is harmful to the environment.  Some of the food left on the road is not what the wild animals need to eat.  They certainly do not need to ingest the plastic or paper products.  Yet, someone had the need to rid their vehicle of this trash.  The personal needs or desires outweighed the communal impact of their actions.

The communal response is to post signs and attach fines.  This only works if we know who threw the trash and if they pay the penalty.  Other responses include having prisoners pick up trash along roadways or groups adopting parts of roads to be their responsibility to clean.  The question this morning is how do we empower individuals to consider communal consequences for individual actions?

This is a question that is as old as creation itself.  We have not come up with the answer ourselves, obviously.  Instead we create rules and governing bodies to enforce the rules and institutions to house the violators of the rules.  All this works when the community has faith in the governing body or when the governing body has enough muscle to generate fear.  But...but...what about the empowerment of individuals to consider communal consequences?

In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples to love one another.  In that particular passage he speaks of a love such that one would lay down his life for another.  One simple command, a command to love.  Communities are the places where we learn to love.  They can also be the places where we learn about hate, greed, envy, and power.  The choice remains with the community.  We can choose to invest in the building of relationships with love or choose to tear down relationships through gossip, distrust, envy, or hate.  The more difficult road is the road of love.  It means at some point denying self for others.  It means at some point turning towards an enemy with unconditional love and asking for mercy, asking for forgiveness.  It means loving each other enough to say no when saying yes would be harmful to another or harmful to the community.

Each morning what I experience watching my morning show are hosts who appear to be doing that hard work, that are choosing the difficult road of love and I have hope.  I am also reminded that the way for me to build relationships of love and hope and redemption that strengthen and empower communities is to be engaged in a loving relationship with God.  Sabbath is a time of separating from communal responsibilities to rest in the presence of a communal God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Only through the power of the Holy Spirit will I be able to love unconditionally. 

Today as I spend time alone with my Lord in prayer, I will offer to him my hopes for the community I serve.  I have seen pain and suffering through the eyes of my neighbors.  As I hold the hands of those with whom I pray, I experience their brokenness and God's healing love.  With arms wrapped in a hug, I am privileged to touch their joy in the midst of their troubles.  My prayer will also be for God to guide me towards an understanding of how to live out his command to love one another.  Through God's guidance I will be able to share how others can allow joy, allow love, allow God to guide them.

One of Many