Could it be that a good community provides good feedback to the individuals that make it up, and that the individuals, working harder at their community because of their individual development, make a virtuous cycle in a healthy, well-functioning community?
My church is having a fall gathering of adult classes. I attended "Come to the Quiet" tonight. We had a worship service in the style of the Taizé community in France.
The worship was very contemplative. The songs were repeated many times, almost mantra-like. While my understanding of mantras tells me that the goal is to empty the mind so as to become nothing and reach the void (which is antithetical to Christianity), this use is for a different goal: Not to reach the void, but to silence ourselves so that God may speak.
Experiencing that worship for the first time, I wasn't sure what to think of it. The usual worship at our church is not noisy in the sense of cacophony. It is orderly, but it is full of sound and music. It is rare when more than 30 seconds of silence happen, and in that case, the song leader starts a familiar song. In our world, we have music, news, and conversations available at the push of a button, and with shortwave radio, it can be anywhere in the world. The silence of the Taizé worship was unnerving. I am not accustomed to the quietness and the stillness. Noises from the electrical hum of the lights and voices from the classes next to us were almost unwelcome. They remind us of the passage of time while we try to be in the presence of One who is timeless.
The songs were a different experience too. Most of them were set in a minor key, which, raised in the traditions of Western music, evokes a different set of emotions than songs set in a major key. They were far, far away from our usual triumphant songs, but they are not defeatist either. They humbly ask God to come and listen to us. They don't demand, they ask. They also ask us to wait for God and to be here, in the present, for each other.
It was a remarkably different experience for me. It was difficult to keep the silence. I have not developed that discipline. I constantly seek something to read, something to think about, and something to listen to. What are your experiences and advice for slowing down and listening to God?
So I'm sitting at work and hear this loud thumping and banging.
Turns out my building is getting a window-washing today. That's a relief.
Lately (within the last two years), I've heard a new buzzword coming out of preachers' mouths:
Community.
Growing up in a church of Christ, it's not a word that was heard very often. The emphasis was on the individual, by far. There were token mentions of Hebrews 10:25 of course, but it was mostly to make sure that the individual was following what God said in His word.
Today, "community" is mentioned so often it is inescapable, as though once we establish it, it will fix what ails us and be all we ever need. Is it the same as what was previously called "fellowship" when I was growing up? It doesn't seem to be. When people speak of "community," there seems to be a heavily mystical attitude towards it. "Fellowship" was simply time together, not necessarily doing "church things" like corporate worship. Is it a matter of the new word replacing the old word so as not to be loaded with the usual definition, to try and get us to think about how we as a congregation relate to each other and redo it? Is it the influence of the 1970s in education (when social studies replaced the discrete subjects of history, geography, economics, etc.) flowering as those who are in charge of congregations' teaching come to influence in the church?
Please don't get me wrong--community (what is held in common) is essential and included in Christianity. We're going to spend eternity with these people, so what's wrong in getting started off on the right foot now? Accountability to each other, through usual friendships and other relationships with each other, strengthens the bonds that we have. My main question is why didn't we hear about community in previous years?
OK, so I know that not too many people read here, but anyway.
I use Google Reader to look over my news sources, blogs of friends, and so forth. One of their features is that I can share different posts on different blogs or newspaper pages. And now, you, yes, YOU can subscribe to them and see what I find to be interesting! Check out the new chicklet on the left to see what I'm fascinated by.
God bless!
Lately, I've been trying to broaden and deepen my perspective on the world. One way I try to do this is by listening to National Public Radio. Well, I can't do this all the time. It makes me too angry. Yesterday, I heard just a bit of the Diane Rehm Show and a caller asked:
Which of the following are more closely modeling "family values?" A Senator who is apparently married and whose name is found in an escort service phone list, or a committed gay couple who have adopted children and are raising them?
The answer, of course, is "Neither." The caller was trying to set up a false dichotomy. I confess to tuning away as soon as I heard the question. I couldn't handle my anger. The caller was referring to Senator David Vitter from Louisiana. When Senator Vitter's name was released, he came forward, apologized, explained that he, God, and his family were working things out, and gave all indications that he had truly repented and was trying to get that part of his life back on track. That doesn't erase his past, but it certainly explains why the calls for Senator Vitter's resignation haven't been heard like they have been (and were answered for) Senator Craig of Idaho, who pleaded guilty, then dissembled, spun, and tried to shuck and jive his way out of an admission of guilt.
In the end, I don't like to hear sanctimony about what God has called sin, and when caught, repentance is always the best option whether you're a public official or not.
