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our life in common
It might be helpful to ready my recent post on my blog called kononia as an introduction to this post. I'll repeat myself a little here as well. First of all, that word, kononia, translated often, "fellowship," comes from the work koinos, meaning "common." So, to escape the baggage attached to the "F-word" we'll say "life in common" or "common life" - maybe that will be helpful.
In the context of Vine & Branches - that's why I'm writing it on this blog - I am often frustrated by our common life or lack thereof. As the overseer of this community I have a somewhat cherished and idealistic notion of what this life should look like. I think this is both good and bad. Good, in that as the "leader" or "father" I should have an overarching and hopeful view of what the life of this community needs to be and live and act in a way that helps to move us in that direction. Bad, in that sometimes it gets in the way of the reality of how long it takes to build something like that and how hard it is for us as a whole and for individuals in their particular places. Please pray for me that I lean on the good side.
My first quote is, I think, both true and I hope it acts as an encouragement for us as a community.
If we're supposed to have a life that is "in common," what is it that we have in common? It's as much as we give I suppose. Nothing is had in common unless it is given to have.This koinos life does not happen by accident. We cannot just mentally agree to the philosophy of it and expect it to happen on its own. We must will to live it, each one of us. We do not have one another unless we give ourselves to one another. This is the love of siblings. This is what we are called to do.
...we need to open ourselves to be loved, by God and others, and set our will (at least that at a base level) toward loving God and others. And love gives. Love is honest and says what it means. Love does not make people walk on eggshells.I am not asking, nor am I expecting, us all to be perfected in this tonight, or tomorrow for that matter. What I'm calling us to do, because I believe it to be what God is calling us to do, is to will to do this, to be this. Our will is the least we can give, it really is. "Will" is base. We will it, that begets desire, and then it's real to us, and realization begets actualization. I'm calling us, as one, to commit to this. Then we can all encourage one another, inside that commitment, that it will take a long time and not to give up. Grace and Peace be with you.
So, fellowship or life in common, community, is simply the life of love between siblings. It is love, living and moving in us and among us.
| posted by + Alan | 10:41 AM |
5 comments
Sounds like a plan... I think you're right Debi, on both counts. Hey Alan, I too sense the healthy tension in your post. I think that we all have a utopian notion, maybe a "kingdom" notion is a better term, of what koinonia should look like, what it should involve and how we should understand it. I think we can agree to try, as success at this by anyone else's standards is a tricky thing. I've recently had my eyes opened to exactly what a community looks like. I always figured I had it down pretty good based on friendships and small group experiences, until I had a conversation with a friend who has been in China for the past couple of years. I was expressing my concern over what I assumed to be a lack of Christian community in his case, and how I thought that would probably be a challenge for him, therefore leading to some situations he is currently facing. He brought up the point that community is what you make of it- you can have no community with your roommate, but be in close communion with someone in another country- especially with today's advantages of email, mail, phone etc. It was basically a convicting conversation for me of how our community in the states had let him down by not acting like his community while he was all alone in another country. Needed to hear that! By Melissa Reynolds, at
10:13 AM 5 Comments:
One that is infinitely implementable. I say "infinitely" intentionally, in a couple of ways. The degree to which we can grow together is infinite, in that we will never get to a place where we say, "OK, this is the ultimate level--we can go no deeper." Also, this process takes an infinite (or at least an indefinite) amount of time to achieve, and we should be prepared for that. It's a long journey, but a satisfying and enjoyable one if we allow it to be.
As a pastor in a "mainline" established church, I lead a tribe of people who I fear really don't have the slightest idea of what it means to be authentically vulnerable and transparent to another human being,let along a fellower sojourner of the Way. Even in community we like to hide behind the facade of "everything's going to be alright in Christ" when inside we are weak, vulnerable, scared little children. I too long so badly for a foretaste of the authentic kingdom community to which I believe God is calling his church. I think the tension you feel is warranted, healthy, and apporpriate. And yes, I do believe that what the leader, father, pastor, of the community models will have inevitable effects on those he/she leads.
I think our Western myth that we are "self made" women and men greatly inhibits, even in the church, our sense of "commonality". We like to say that no man or woman are a rock or an island, but rarely do we allow anyone into the dark recesses of our fears, struggles, or hang ups, or conversely, into the intimate areas of our hopes, dreams, and visions.
I believe that this is such a systemic problem in both our culture that bleeds over into our faith communities as well.
Unfortunately I have no easy answers, but take comfort in knowing that I too share the struggle my brother. Keep on keeping on!
Peace,
~Eric
There are certain ways in which I know how to love, and know how to trust. In other ways, I falter completely. It's not a switch I can just turn on, but i can be faithful to keep "showing up" with the people in my life, as it were.