Messiness of Community

This is my first attempt at a blog, and now I feel that I have finally arrived to the 21st century. But please bear with me as I figure this all out. Any help much appreciated!

During these next few weeks I plan to blog about community: the good, the bad, and the ugly! We will first start out with the ugly or a better word the messiness of community. So below is part of my story as it deals with the messiness of community.

“I don’t want to go small group”, I grumbled. “I am just too tired, and I do not feel like spending time with other believers,” I decided after a long day at the office. As I continued to feel sorry for myself, I surmised that they really didn’t care much about me and I did not want to share what was really going on in my heart (and it was ugly!!).

Ever had one of those days? I was once a pastor of small groups at two different churches and the “expert” in building community. Nevertheless, I passionately desired to run as far away as possible from any resemblance of community. Why? I think a lot has to do my struggle with the gospel and what that means I as I live my faith out within our community. Consider what we will be celebrating soon – the incarnation of the Son of God. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of a virgin, and bore the flesh of humanity. He comes to Bethlehem as a humble dependent baby without majesty or splendor. He comes to be one of us and to identify with our world. Even though he is the creator of the universe, he comes into our world to help us—understanding our needs, our pains, and our situations.

So what does this have to do with my struggle with the gospel and living in community with other believers? Everything. Jesus sums up the law and the prophets in one sentence: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them . . .” (Matt 7:12). We are called to a life of incarnational love, a love that enters the world of others—understanding their needs, their pain, their situation—and then brings grace through words and deeds. We are to love this way because it is the way we want to be loved. Moreover, it the way we were and are loved by our Savior and Lord. It is believing the amazing love of the gospel that enables me to work through my self-pity and move towards others in love by identifying with their needs. It is believing the humanity of the gospel that helps me put other needs before myself. It is believing the radical unconditional grace of the gospel that helps me enter the messiness of others lives, get dirty with them, and meet and experience Jesus together.

You see, you and me cannot run away from loving and caring for others, and additionally we cannot run from others loving and caring for us. Jesus loves and cares for us and he commands, motivates and models to us the love we are to show others within our community (and as well as outside our community). Hear these words from the Scottish theologian MacClaren, “Cleaning is always dirty work for the cleaners. You cannot make people clean by scolding them, by lecturing them, by patronizing them. You have to go down into the filth if you mean to lift them out of it; and leave your smelling bottles behind.” Well that is what my small group did for me that night I did not want to go. This is what I desire for every member, attendee, and future attendee of New Town—to get messy with others so that we can experience together the hope of the Gospel—Jesus Christ!

Consider this Fall to avail yourself to a small group—coed, men and/or women. We hope to start two co-ed groups very soon. And when you come to a small group, lets encourage one another to get messy in order to experience Jesus Christ in our midst and know him and others more deeply!