A long time ago I read a book by Dr. M. Scott Peck called, “The Road Less Travelled.” In this book he spoke of the true meaning of community and our need to connect and be a part of true community. He went on to develop these thoughts further in subsequent writing. His work twigged something in me and I went on to read more of his books as I felt drawn to what he described. But where does one go to find such “true community”?
According to Peck, community is: "a group of individuals who have learned how to communicate honestly with each other, whose relationships go deeper than their masks of composure, and who have developed some significant commitment to "rejoice together, mourn together," and to "delight in each other, and make others' conditions our own."
He (Peck) compares community to a precious gem when he states "A group becomes a community in somewhat the same way that a stone becomes a gem - through a process of cutting and polishing. Once cut and polished, it is something beautiful. But to describe its beauty, the best we can do is to describe its facets. Community, like a gem, is multifaceted, each facet a mere aspect of a whole that defies description."
He lays out some basic ideas that are true in any real sense of community which include:
- Community must be inclusive
- Community must be realistic and have consensus
- Community must have contemplation and self-awareness
- Community must be a safe place
- Community must show vulnerability & peacemaking
- Community must be able to express differences gracefully
- Community must be a place where all are leaders
- Community must have an atmosphere of love
Ever since we’ve found ourselves in a so called “pandemic,” one thing that has really disappointed me is the lacklustre response - to this violation of religious liberty - from the broader Christian community. For much of the past 14+ months many of us have not only felt physically isolated but (to some extent) emotionally and spiritually as well. I often have felt largely alone in my frustration and concerns about what was being done to our freedom to assemble and our religious freedom as well. There seemed to be very little support or like-minded care and concern from the church – particularly in Canada. I was left wondering, did they all care so little, and was it just me? Was I just being foolish? Could “church” be so easily replaced ... or is this simply a reflection of the Canadian psyche who like to see themselves as “peacekeepers” and will go along to get along?
To give some context to the discussion: Some months prior to Covid-19 being declared a pandemic, my wife and I had signed a lease to move into an apartment in town. With this plan in mind, we had just sold our country home – a house I’d had for the past thirty-two years. Now, anytime one faces a major move, the unyielding pressure of sorting, packing, downsizing, arranging and moving is recognized by experts as major stress. Now – suddenly – in the midst of our preparation to move, we found ourselves in the midst of a government declared emergency and lock-down. Oh, we could complete our move (and did) but without the help we’d been counting on. Needless to say, the stress burden was suddenly and significantly even higher. I just mention this for a couple reasons: to highlight the head/emotional space I was in and secondly to acknowledge the emotional support we did experience from many within the church community as they reached out to us through calls, texts and messages of support.
Early in this lock-down, I recall having a discussion with a Christian sister on this subject and I recall listening to her describe how she and her husband had just finished watching (from the comfort of their own living room) the service from her own church. She concluded they had “done church” and it was just fine…she concluded I was just over-blowing everything. She believed closing all the churches was necessary and my concern was for naught. Over time I came to realize many of my Christian brothers and sisters felt the same - and I could not believe it. Everyone seemed to grasp the stress generated by the move but, sadly, not the concern and frustration about the removal of my/our basic freedoms (including religious freedom and the freedom to assemble).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in any way knocking “over-the-air” church and religious services. I think there are many who can - and do - benefit from them (particularly those who cannot get out of their homes for one reason or another). My own mother was a grateful beneficiary of on-line church services and I myself was drawn into fellowship through a process that at one point included on-line and television services. However, these cannot be viewed as a replacement or satisfactory reason for no longer assembling ourselves together.
All that I’ve said thus far will, I hope, establish the foundation of some related (though difficult to connect in essay form) random thoughts I’ve been having on the subject over the past number of months:
- Look at the passage in Hebrews 10 verses 19-25 for an idea of why we are called to come together. Verse 25 seems very relevant to the topic at hand when it reads: “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
BibleRef.com has this to say about this passage and verse:
“Personal contact with other Christians is not merely suggested by the Bible: it is commanded. A practical reason for this was given in the prior verse. Relationships with other believers are one way to be encouraged to live out the faith we proclaim. We are called on to "hold fast," through our own spiritual maturity. Growth in faith, however, is greatly influenced by having Christian examples around us. This is why the Great Commission was for the church to "make disciples," not merely to talk about Jesus (Matthew 28:18–20). Verse 24 commanded Christians to look for opportunities to inspire others to love and to good works.
This verse specifically disapproves of failure, on the part of Christians, to meet with other Christians. The Greek term used here is enkataleipontes, referring to "an abandonment or forsaking." The ESV translates this term as "neglect," since it implies a failure to do something one ought to be doing. In clear terms, Christians have an obligation to fellowship with other Christians. This is not only necessary for discipleship, but so that we can meet each other's needs, and encourage and inspire other Christians in their faith (Hebrews 3:13; Colossians 3:16).”
- Within the tradition I was raised, great emphasis was placed on religious liberty – indeed, they even published a magazine “Religious Liberty” established in 1906 and continuing on to this very day. I was raised with the understanding that the day was coming when our religious freedom would be taken from us and we would be persecuted for our beliefs and practices. This tradition used to maintain a watchful eye on all legislation and proposals that might infringe on our religious freedoms and actively lobbied for the maintenance of our freedom and the complete separation of church and state. Yet, when several months ago churches were ordered closed, this same tradition very quickly rolled over without seeming to offer any resistance. When there was also very little initial resistance from other traditions, I was disappointed even further. Since then, we have begun to see some people and a few churches (more so in the USA) advocating for this fundamental right and challenging the government’s authoritarian actions.
- In the month of May, a morning devotional series I follow, dedicated the months readings to the subject of community (note: this series had been written and decided upon before any pandemic had been declared or lock-down ordered). Here is a link to the library of topics published – when you get there, look up May 2020: https://today.reframemedia.com/daily-devotional-library
On June 12, 2020, that same devotional, commenting on Hebrews 3:7-19 published the following commentary:
“In the book of Hebrews we have come to a passage that serves as a warning sign. And we do well to pay attention to what the author is saying here. The writer is pointing to the history of God’s people and showing how it did not play out so well. People were quick to harden their hearts and turn away from God.
So we need to learn from the mistakes of others. Don’t harden your hearts to the Lord. Keep focused on Jesus.
One important lesson we find here is that in living in community together, we need to encourage each other in our walk with God. We cannot keep free from sin and temptation on our own; we need the Lord, and we need each other. We need to encourage each other to keep on following the Lord.
When the people of God ignored warning signs in the past, they ran into real danger. Let’s not get so used to warning signs that we begin to ignore them. Let’s continue to encourage each other to “fix [our] thoughts on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1).”
- As I looked back at the establishment of the early Christian church, particularly during this period of government ordered “social distancing,” I am compelled to wonder just what would have happened if Christ’s earliest followers had complied with such an order. The idea that the disciples or Jesus himself would practice social distancing belies the truth of the gospel itself. Sickness, highly contagious diseases and plagues were present during this time in history. Lepers were socially isolated and yet Jesus did not distance himself from any – but he went to them and ministered to them.
The church was built on a strong social basis – the community. Not only this but that very community was instrumental in ministering to the sick – even to the point of taking on the risk of illness within it’s very ranks. Many efforts were made to break up these communities as the church was relentlessly attacked – and many died – but the church grew and flourished. I wonder what history will have to say about the church during our time.
- I recall hearing a story that illustrates the importance of assembling together – it goes something like this:
A certain man, having become disgruntled with something that had transpired in his church, decided he did not need the fellowship of that group. He decided he could worship, pray and study the scripture on his own. After several weeks of absence, the pastor became concerned and went to visit the man. The man proceeded to outline his grievance and concluded he saw no need to continue attending. The pastor quietly went over to the man’s fireplace, where a nice fire was burning brightly, and taking the poker, he separated a burning stick from the rest of the fire. Within a very short time the flame on the stick began to die down, smoulder and then go out. The point had been made. We are dependent on each other for many reasons and it helps keep the flame alive.
Will this lock-down end soon? I hope so. Perhaps it can be seen as a warning or a test – you decide. Me? I’m alarmed. I wonder, even if things ever go back to some kind of normal, how many flames might have gone out – how much damage might be done. Is community important…Is Christian fellowship important? You decide for yourself. If it is, then we must be prepared to stand for that in which we believe.
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