The flip-side of community

Over at my new friend Kim's blog Just Add Tea, she recently shared some things she'd been learning about community:

[Citing an article] [I]t's what followed that struck me most: "Somewhere along the lines we have lost the concept of true community and our lives are now focused purely on ourselves, our needs and those in our circle of close friends and family. We rarely give any time to those outside the circle unless it's convenient for us. (Oh the pain and shame, as I just saw me in this reality.) We don't like to be inconvenienced. But how can we help people if we are never prepared to be inconvenienced? How can we help people if we are never prepared to be uncomfortable?"

Since I've got back from overseas, I've been forced to think about the flip-side of that coin. Pride is a funny sin; it seems to be able to take over both sides. I love helping people; I'm a people person, and I get great personal joy & satisfaction from getting alongside others and pulling with them to get something done. But I'm a terrible people-pleaser too; the idea of letting somebody down terrifies me (although more on that in a second).

This came to a head for me when I tried to do everything I had been doing after a draining month of travel. I survived a week and a half, then crunched into a wall when I realised I simply couldn't keep doing all the things I'd been doing.

What to do? Who to say "Sorry, but I can't" to? I HATE saying no to people! What will they think of me? Ah, ahhh. There's the rub. There's pride, poking its face around the corner. Pride, telling me that what people think of me is actually the most important reason to serve. How twisted *bah*

I'm learning to rest; hopefully there'll be another post about that soon. But how does this relate to Kim's reflections above?

Well, I'm realising the corollary to Kim's point. Just as truly being part of a community means letting yourself be inconvenienced in order to love others, you must also let others inconvenience themselves (or be inconvenienced) in order to love you. To fail to do so is just another way that pride creeps in and taints our lives.

So here's to repentance. Here's to being humble enough to say no. To being humble enough to let someone else help carry your burdens when things are heavy. To bearing each other's burdens, and so fulfilling the love of Christ. To the community of God's family :)

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Photo: A helping hand by Forest Runner on flickr. Used under Creative Commons :)

Of the notching of pointless milestones there is no end…

Just noticed that over at last.fm I'd notched up 33,333 song listens. Who cares. Here is the 33,333rd song I scrobbled. It's kind of fitting, as I've really enjoyed this song again of late :)

Bourj Al-Barajneh: A lament

New year, new poem! Wrote this after coming back from a trip to the Middle East. Spent some time with people I barely knew (but now consider good friends) tooling around sightseeing and attempting to be make the world a better place. We did do some openly Christian stuff, but some of the images that stuck the most closely to me are from time we spent in a Palestinian refugee camp in Bourj Al-Barajneh, Beirut. There's a great NGO called the Inma Foundation we were able to volunteer with; painting, cleaning, and decorating their centre within the camp. Check them out. I could try and spend words and words and words explaining the plight of these refugees – but maybe you need to go educate yourself as well :). Too many words, not enough poetry!

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I saw a truck driving through Bourj Al-Barajneh Camp
It carried a load of rubble
And a set of keys to a dream
that will never be realised.

I saw a man walking through Bourj Al-Barajneh Camp
His body wasn't staying still
But his soul was firmly stuck
in that box of concrete, wires and despair.

I saw children playing in Bourj Al-Barajneh Camp
They weren't running, excited,
Full of joy and light because
They didn't know they were allowed.

I saw a Son of Man in Bourj Al-Barajneh Camp
He said He had plans for His children,
For a hope and for a future.
I'm glad Somebody does at least.

Customary apology for lack of posts

I've not really posted for a while; I guess this isn't exactly the most exciting thing I try and do. Life is too full of interacting with people so I keep forgetting to come here and gush whatever's on my mind. But whatever. Maybe more this year. Maybe.

Forgiveness

Recently I had a friend apologise for a comment they'd made in a social setting – they were worried that they had offended and/or hurt me with what they'd said. I couldn't actually remember the offending remark, but was thankful that they wanted to make things right. I told them that I was sure they didn't mean anything by whatever they had said (which was true), and the conversation ended amicably.

That should have been the end of it, right? Genuine apology, accepted with genuine thanks and genuine assurances that everything was fine – all good!

And yet it was all I could do to stop myself trying to remember what it was they might have said! In the end I gave myself a stern talking-to about the self-indulgence of such an activity.

It's hard to repent from such emotional hypochondria. Perhaps we like sinfully wallowing in self-pity ("they hurt me! they hurt me!"). Or maybe we just want to inflate our ego via forgiveness ("wow, I was so gracious when I forgave that person"). Either way, Lord, thank You for forgiving us our sins, even as we learn to forgive those who sin against us…

What should a pastor hope for in their new church?

The church I attend has just had its vicar leave to go take up a role at a church in Canada, and today was the second Sunday since he left. We've been appointed a locum (stand-in), Graeme Sells, to help keep the church running while we look for a replacement.

Today was his first Sunday with us, and I think his sermon spoke right to the heart of where our minds and hearts need to be as a congregation. He took the question that will inevitably be in our minds (and especially those tasked with the responsibility of finding a suitable replacement) and turned them around: rather than "What do we expect from a vicar?" (pastor, minister, priest, whatever), what should they hope to find when they get here?

Graeme chose to look at Acts 2:42-47, looking at the early church and deriving positives from this picture. He came up with 9 things churches should aim to be:

A Learning Church

The early church didn't have any New Testament to start off with – they had the Old Testament, and the teaching of the apostles. They didn't have easy access to the Scriptures of the Old Testament, so they had to make sure they listened well when they were taught. (Acts also says that a lot of them spent time in the Temple courts learning every day!)

Committed to Fellowship

I think this one is the one that gets the most attention when people come to this passage: the community of believers, sharing lives, meeting each others' needs. As a church models this behaviour, its members grow and serve with each other, and become closer-knit. The sacrament of Communion also provides fellowship between the church (corporately and individually speaking) and Christ.^†

Committed to Prayer

And not just any prayer, but especially prayer for the well-being of the church, its health and its growth. Times between shepherds are often times of uncertainty, so the sheep must pay even more attention to the Chief Shepherd than they usually do. To that end, CCH will be having some prayer nights completely dedicated to praying for precisely these things.

A Reverant Church

It's all too easy for a church to take itself too seriously, and not take God seriously enough. The reverse should be the case. We should give God the respect He deserves, and be prepared to reflect and receive wisdom and criticism about areas we need to improve on.

A Church that God uses

Attitude does play a part. God wants the church to be engaged with his mission for the world, and if we ask God to use us, and we're seeking to honour Him, then He will answer that prayer. There are times when God seems less active than others, but prayers to be used of God from a right heart won't go unanswered.

A Generous Church

Barnabas, we read elsewhere in Acts, sold a block of land and gave all the proceeds to the church to use. A church where every member is actively looking for ways to give (time, talents, and treasures) is a rich church indeed, and one that is best resourced to serve and minister to its surrounding community.

Takes Worship Seriously

Worship for the early church would have been an interesting exercise – worshipping One who many of them would have known quite well would have been a very intimate thing. We in the 21^st century don't have that benefit, but the Holy Spirit allows us to worship intimately with both Father and Son.

A Happy Church

When a church is attuned to what God is doing, the natural response is one of praise to Him for His goodness and greatness. How hard are we looking for God's hand in our everyday lives (in the big things and the small things)? This doesn't mean that genuine sorrow and pain should be wallpapered over, not at all; but even in times of great suffering, we can still affirm the greatness and the goodness of God.

A Caring Church

A church always has those within it who are in greater need of care than others. Ultimately, every Christian is a fundamentally weak person whom God has strengthened and comforted in some way; so how can we fail to use what God has given us to strengthen and comfort others? Graeme shared some great practical insights on this one, showing examples of how churches were able to care for those with disabilities, or those whose lives had been shattered by natural disaster.

Finally, verse 47 shows what a church striving for these things can hope for: a healthy, growing community. It's churches like these that are the best advertisement for Christianity – no room for hypocrisy, vitally living faith in practice. The gospel will always be a stumbling-block and foolishness to unbelievers; but those whom God is saving will be attracted to this kind of community.

How does your church stack up? What are its strengths? Where can it improve?
And given that churches are comprised of individuals, how are you helping make this picture a reality in your church?

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†  Interestingly, the sermon I heard this morning touched on Jesus' ascension. One of the points the preacher made was that if Jesus hadn't ascended, He would not have sent the Holy Spirit, who ministers to every Christian individually in a way that Jesus could not as a full human. I hadn't thought of that, and it made a lot of sense.

8tracks Mix: En verdad, una musa

Just created a new mix on 8tracks.com. It's a mixture of loungy/jazzy/quirky tunes, with a common thread of emotion woven through. Enjoy!