Sunday, May 13, 2012

Community


A selection of questions I asked myself about community;
  • Is community intrinsically good, or can you have ‘bad’ community?
  • Is there a difference between the local community, the global community, and community?
  • Does it have to be hard?
  • What the heck does it even mean?
  • What does wikipedia say?
  • WWJD?

Insightful answers I came up with;

Nothing.  And I’m frustrated.  Bleurgh.

Bulletpoints;

  • Anywhere you have people, you have complexity and flaws.  You also have creativity and energy, and potentiality.
  • Some people are easy to like, easy to get along with, easy to live with, easy to love.  Some people are hard.  Both kinds of relationships seem to be important.
  • I’m going to think of community as a journey rather than a destination.  It’s the fact that as we pursue the ultimate of relationships that are completely restored to perfection, we travel with others.  And each moment of truly good, deep, life-giving connection is a signpost of what is to come.  While hurts and misunderstandings and words spoken in anger remind me that we’re not there yet.
  • To be honest, Jesus probably wouldn’t be too worried about defining the word community.  I think he kind of summed up relationships in his “two most important commandments” speech.  Love God – with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  And love your neighbour as you love yourself.  So in this community thing we can’t lose sight of ourselves and we can’t lose sight of others.  And at the very center – everything about our relationships has to flow from being totally in awe and in love with God.

My prayer;

O God of the Universe,
Great in power and rich in love.
Bring your kingdom here on earth
Just as it is in heaven.

Bring it in the beauty of friendships
Bring it in the smile of strangers
Bring it in the warmth of family
Bring it in the touch of understanding
Bring it in the joy of loved ones
Bring it in the cry of the unlovely

Open my eyes and my heart
So that every person I meet is
Another opportunity to
Love you and to love  them and to
Love me and to be

Ever more whole.
Because you are the author of
wholeness

3 comments:

  1. I feel like you've said so much better what I wanted to say, and more!

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  2. I don't think I ever read your post last time around because: bullet points and a poem-looking thing.

    I'm sorry.

    You say good things. especially: "everything about our relationships has to flow from being totally in awe and in love with God"

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  3. Jesus wouldn't be too fussed about defining community. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but the politicians this morning were musing about legalese, definitions, and how hard it is to make them do the job you want them to. "It's a matter of working it to capture what you intuitively want captured" one said about defining things. My point being, I think you are right - and doing community, without worrying about definitions or if we're doing it 'correctly', is what we're here to do. My other point is that my politicians this morning were being surprisingly philosophical and sweet. Mirabile. <3

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