Shannon and I have been out of town for about a week and a half. I had a math conference in Gainesville, Florida for a few days. On our way back to Ga, we visited some friends in Valdosta (Jason, Candy and Joshua). Then, we went to visit our families in Vidalia, GA while Shannon was preparing to preach in a series of meetings at Cornerstone Church. Everything went well, and I thank God for his mercies during both the conference and the church services.

It is amazing to see God work in the lives of people and change them into new creations. That is what happened this week in the services. Shannon spoke three messages from Romans 12 (Holy Rebellion, Rebel with a Cause, The Heart of the Matter) and once from Acts chapters 1 and 8 (Turning the Church Inside Out). They were timely messages about rebelling against the worldly system and living a transformed life in the midst of a secular world (as one follows the Holy Spirit). He spoke about the need for community – that one cannot be “saved” without developing relationships within the community. He cried out for the church to reach beyond our own comfort and into the community which surrounds us that is dying without our intervention. We must reach out even to those people around whom we may be uncomfortable, as they need to see the story of Christ exemplified in our lives.

While we were grateful for this time, we are both happy to be back home in Birmingham. We missed all of our Alabaster Church of God family and our friends in the Birmingham area while we were gone. We missed our fellowship at The Bridge meetings and going to Habaneros after church on Sunday. To all our family at Alabaster: We missed you; we love you; and it was so good to see you last night. (To those who couldn’t make it last night, we look forward to seeing you soon.)

Just one last thought: Where would we be (as Christians) without a family of faith? How has your church family impacted your life? Please take a moment to thank those people who have helped you along your journey to living in Christ.

Peace,

Dee

I was thinking this morning about how our churches (for the large part) seem to be homogeneous, meaning, the people in our churches all seem to look alike and be very much alike.  I wondered is there a place for the marginalized of our society in our church, or would we marginalize them the same way the world does, just because they are different from us?

For example, what about those people who are mentally or physically disabled?  I have no doubt that our churches would feel compassion for these people.  I have no doubt that our churches would offer to help these people by offering food or money.  I have no doubt that our churches would pray for these people, but I wonder if we would make a place for them amidst us.

These are two very different concepts.  The first allows us to help the disabled.  But, in the second, we are opening up our world and allowing them to contribute and actually help us.  This would take much patience and love, and I am sure that it would be much quicker for me to cook a meal for my family than it would be for someone who is physically disabled. 

This is the crux of the matter.  Do we have time not only to give but to allow someone else to give to and minister to us?  Can we slow down and see that Jesus didn’t just give handouts to people and promise to pray for them; he spent time with them and allowed them to minister to him.

I have recently read about a community begun my Jean Vanier (a priest) called L’Arche (pronounced Larsh).  The name means “ark” in French.  In this community, disabled people live with those who are not disabled and they all contribute to life in the community.  After all, we are to be a community – contributing to each other.

Jean Vanier and Stanley Hauerwas co-wrote a book entitled Living Gently in a Violent World: The Prophetic Witness of Weakness.  In this book, Vanier describes his community and makes some compelling arguments about how this accurately reflects the heart of God.   He even makes an argument along the lines that in order to be a “Friend of God,” a phrase which I think is often misused by many people, one must embrace the weakness and frailty in one’s society the way Jesus did.

Hauerwas takes a somewhat more political view and argues that we must, as a society, allow the disabled to find their place in our communities.  We have become a society where we are focused on cures, and we have no time for care.  When we cannot cure someone, we want to hide him/her away in shame.  But, this is not the desire of God, nor is it healthy for our communities.

I agree with the two authors of this book and would encourage anyone to read it.  It is not long (less than 100 pages after you take out the table of contents and other things of that nature), but the book was heart-wrenching and helped me to see that ministry is not always about doing things for people who have less than you – sometimes, it is about allowing them to minister to you.  You may see yourself change right before your eyes.

Blessings,

Dee

Today, I would like to continue our journey through Vondey’s work, People of Bread: Rediscovering Ecclesiology.  In previous posts (Feb-8 Theological Imagination, Feb-9 Imagine That, Feb-11 To Image or Not to Image), we surveyed the importance and role of images in the Church.  Chapter two is called Companionship: The Social Nature of the People of God.  Before reading the chapter, I was intrigued by the chapter title.  How would the author connect the relationships that exist (or should) within the Body of Christ with the image of bread?  

The author methodically explores key Scriptures which point to the importance of bread as a central theme of fellowship in both the Old and New Testament (e.g. Gen 31.54; Exod 2.20; Ruth 2.14; 2 Sam 9.7, 10; Prov 23.6; et al).  Interestingly, in the Hebrew culture, joining someone for a meal meant the parties involved were entering a relationship together.¹ Of note, the derivatives of the Semitic root for the word bread “are the Syrian ‘to join,’ the Moabite ‘to fight,’ and the Arabic ‘weft,’ ‘weld,’ or ‘relationship’” (p. 37).  With my dad a sheet metal worker for the past 20 years or so, I have observed the effects of welding. So, the Arabic nuance of “weld” sticks out to me.  Welding brings parts together in the undeniable context of focused (intentional) energy (heat).

Furthermore, Vondey notes how the word “companion” “literally refers to partaking in the production and consumption of ‘bread’ (panis) ‘together’ (com-)” (p. 42).  Think about the times when you invite someone over for a meal or meet with others after the morning service in order to eat together.  For ACoG, oftentimes we meet at a local Mexican restaurant (after all, corn chips and salsa is a type of bread, right? lol ).  Something occurs during such fellowship other than everyone simply receiving physical nourishment (for me, the chicken fajitas!).  There is a spiritual nourishment of sorts that takes place as persons share thoughts, questions, stories, testimonies, hardships, etc.  Over the context of the meal, we embrace a vulnerability that is necessary in order to get to know people better.

Now, the reason for the title of the post is because we must be careful not to relegate “church” to merely attending Sunday and Wednesday services (for those of us in the CoG tradition, these are the usual times of corporate gathering).  ”Church” goes beyond meeting at a designated building (“going to Church”) and involves issues, stories, pains, struggles, triumphs, etc. of real persons. People make up the Church and at the heart of our being the body of Christ is the development of meaningful relationships with one another (and those around us).

A few questions: What are some ways in which a local assembly may foster stronger relationships?  What are the major obstacles facing the development of such meaningful relationships (between age groups, interests, handicaps, locales, etc.)?  As a Christian, is fellowship with others essential?  Can I be a Christian and not (intentionally) engage in meaningful relationships with others?

Blessings, 

Shannon

¹ Vondey, People of Bread, p. 37.