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There
is a story told about the Apostle John who spoke often to his disciples
about love. One day, in exasperation, someone piped up, “John, why do
you ALWAYS talk about love?” Smiling,
John responded: “Because, it’s the most needful thing!”
Love
is the common ingredient in most of our searching and longing.
We seek wholeness, to know and become all that we can be.
And all of us, in one way or another, seek significant and real
community, a place to belong, a place to call “home.”
We sense at a deep level that our own healing is bound up with the
healing of others; we know that the journey toward wholeness is personal
but also communal. We know
that Jesus does not just HAVE a body, He IS a body and we are His members.
“Ministry
is the creation of space for community to develop.”
Henri Nouwen
My
wife and I have pastored many small groups over the past fifteen years. We
have sought to create safety for people, and we have wrestled with
traditional concepts of authority and leadership, looking for a balance
between form and freedom while seeking to include the traditional elements
of church life in our groups.
In
the process, we’ve heard some encouraging testimonies.
First a single mother who had drifted around the edges of our
church told us over lunch one day, “I feel like I’ve come home.”
Then a young couple who had never been committed to a small group
before told us, “We feel like we’ve found a place to belong.”
A few weeks later as we finished praying for another mom, she told
us that for the first time she had been able to share her fears.
We were deeply touched. We
knew that the strength of the group did not depend on us, but the life of
Christ was being seen and felt among us as we made space for Him.
But
wait a second, you thought I was talking about the creation of space for
community, and now I am talking about space for Jesus.
In reality, these two are one because Jesus indwells His body.
The Gathered Power of God
Consider
these words from Karl Rahner, a Catholic theologian: “Church is the
place where the gathered weakness of man becomes the gathered power of
God.” Or consider these words from Jim Wallis, of the Sojourner’s
community: “the chief lesson of community is that God breaks through at
the weak places.” Sound familiar? How
about this one: “Most gladly then I will boast in my weakness, for when
I am weak, then He is strong.”
It’s
amazing how rarely I connect deeply with others around my strengths! When I really do a great job of teaching or writing, I find
myself admired, but rarely loved. When
I am sharing my struggles, doubts or fears with a friend or two, I find
myself supported, loved, and encouraged.
And I find myself connected, loving and supporting in turn. Isn’t it odd?
Paul remarks
in Corinthians that “the weak parts are more needful.”
A
few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all
physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the
100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash,
but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is,
except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple
of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed
down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back, every one
of them.
One
girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said: "This
will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together
to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went
on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story.
Why?
Because
deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than
winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win,
even if it means slowing down and helping them up.
Source Unknown
I believe that much of
the work the Lord wants to do in the lives of leaders is to teach them to
walk in their weakness as powerfully as they walk in their strengths.
It’s easy (and tempting) to share victories as a way to call
others to discipleship. It’s
difficult (and humbling) to share our weaknesses as a way of glorifying
God. But He puts His glory in
pots of clay for just that purpose!
Let’s
face it, sharing our failings and struggles feels like weakness!
Vulnerability doesn’t come naturally for most of us, and it
feels, well, vulnerable!
But
if in weakness Christ is glorified, then the concept of leadership is on
an entirely different footing. Maybe
it’s okay to have a non-professional in the pulpit.
Maybe the teaching doesn’t have to flow perfectly, having three
neat points. Maybe the weaker parts are more needful even in ministry. Maybe we really are a body, and the ministry of each really
is important (radical thought!) We
need to recover Eph.4:16, where the body is built “as each part does its
work.” As Markus Barth put it, “It is at the point of connection that
Jesus is made known.”
I
can’t recount the number of gifted preachers I have heard who touched my
intellect, and then someone shared a testimony that related in some way to
the teaching, and I found my heart in my mouth.
If we believe that the word of God must come only through leaders,
we have not yet understood the corporate reality of Christ, nor have we
really heard Peter’s first sermon at Pentecost.
The “point of connection” is usually a place of openness, a
place of weakness where we have a need.
Valuing
Every Member
Part
of creating safety is creating space where each member is valued and
validated as having a unique contribution.
Be careful that the most gifted don’t dominate, because you will
lose something you cannot easily recover.
I
participate regularly in an open style meeting where leadership is in the
coaching style, and often invisible unless correction is needed. Like
coaches, we often sit on the sidelines and merely observe the game. Like
lifeguards at the pool, we are ready to jump into the water when
necessary! Isaac Stern uses
an analogy from his life as a conductor that beautifully pictures the role
of leadership in our gatherings:
The conductor is not a
powerful person. It appears
so, but it is not so. On the surface it seems that the music is produced
by the power of the conductor to tell everyone what to do and when to do
it. He may have to do that,
but it is not what makes the music.” (If he does too much directing, the
real music will not be heard, but only his own idea of it).
A
good conductor does not merely tell everyone what to do; rather he helps
everyone to hear what is so. For
this he is not primarily a telling but a listening individual: even while
the orchestra is performing loudly he is listening inwardly to silent
music. He is not so much
commanding as he is obedient.
The conductor conducts by
being conducted. He first
hears, feels, loses himself in the silent music;
then when he knows what it is he finds a way to help others hear it
too. He knows that music is
not made by people playing instruments, but rather by music playing
people. Isaac
Stern in China
At
some of our meetings there is a wonderful harmony, but occasionally the
tuba risks drowning out the softer tones of the flute.
At our last meeting one of the tubas was dominant in the wrong
place, blaring out a note that was discordant and disturbing.
One of the coaches nailed him on the sidelines, taking him aside to
show him “a more excellent way.”
If you have a group where someone is a tuba, no matter how
beautifully they play, you may have to limit their participation so that
you can also hear the softer tones of the flute. Power is perfected in
weakness, and the weak are easily intimidated by dominant leadership
styles and the more verbal gifts.
At
the level of weakness, we are truly one. In our strengths we stand alone,
independent not only from God, but from one another.
Where I am strong, I don’t need my brother or my sister.
Unneeded, they are unconnected.
Where I am weak, I need them.
Then together we are strong. Our
weaknesses hold the power of connection and the glory of God.
Our strengths hold only our own potential.
Form and Freedom
One simple
question relates to form and freedom. Do our structures facilitate the
purpose of our meeting: to build community and release the ministry of
Jesus? We must remain
flexible if we would allow the Lord to do His work.
Jean Vanier comments, “So we have to create structures which
encourage everyone to participate, and especially the shy people. Those
who have the most light to shed often dare not show it; they are afraid of
appearing stupid. They do not
recognize their own gift, perhaps because others haven't recognized it
either.” (Community and Growth)
With too much
structure, people will feel stifled and God will have a hard time breaking
into your meeting. With too little structure, people may feel
uncomfortable and wonder if anyone is in control. Too much freedom is like
driving without a map - people never know where they are; too much
oversight is like walking on eggshells – people won’t feel safe taking
risks and will let the leader do it all.
Letty Russell shares:
Recently I
taught in a continuing education program for church professionals on the
west coast. In one of the sessions we tried out a model of contextual
Bible study that was based on a mutual sharing of life stories and
situations that seemed to illuminate the text and its context. One pastor
raised his hand and said, "I try to get others to speak in Bible
study, but the women, and sometimes even the men, defer to me as having
authority. What should I do?" The
Methodist Quarterly Review, Spring 1986
The
solution she proposes? Demystify
the structures. Every
important issue in our lives is embedded in social, economic, political
and religious structures. To
work toward partnership in community, we must analyze the way these forces
shape our understanding of reality and our use of authority. The pastor
mentioned needed to understand the structures of church and community life
that lead to a hierarchical understanding of teaching and decision-making.
If he had understood, he would not have expected women to speak out simply
because he requested it.
In
order to work as partners people need to be political. That is, they need
to look at the way power and authority are functioning in their group and
in the larger institutions in order to be able to understand how
decision-making works and who should be held accountable. Without such
knowledge of structures, people will continue to be dependent on those who
rule "for them."
Gnosticism and Spirituality
Don’t
be too spiritual! Gnosticism
is an old heresy and Gnostics claimed special knowledge about God. In the
first century this group claimed that Christ didn’t really take flesh,
because they believed that matter was evil. So God didn’t really suffer
and die on the cross: He only appeared
to suffer and die.
We
charismatics easily become hyper-spiritual, and deny the importance of
matter. This is not pleasing
to God, and it is dangerous to those around us!
But God really took flesh, and Jesus was fully human.
He died to redeem our whole body, soul and spirit.
To emphasize a literal incarnation, John writes,
That
which was from the beginning,
Which
we have heard,
Which we have seen with our eyes,
Which we have looked upon,
And our hands have handled,
Concerning the word of life –
The life was manifested, and we have seen
and bear witness,
And declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was
manifested to us…
1
John 1: 1-2
God
invented matter. It was His idea! We
live in a real world and sometimes the most spiritual thing to do is a
very human thing – to rest, to cry, to laugh, to sit by a waterfall,
give someone flowers or share a coffee.
Love is a human and practical matter because we are physical
beings.
Living
in a material world also means that symbols are important.
The Lord gave us bread and wine to remember Him to teach us that
ordinary things become Holy. Material
things are also an aid to faith. The arts are important for the sake of
celebration, but also because they bring matter and spirit together. The
arts are a metaphor of incarnation.
Hold
the Word and the Spirit together. It
is because we are a unity of body, soul and spirit that a course on
communication can not only change a marriage but revolutionize our life
with God! Take time to be normal; build relationships founded on mutual
respect and honesty.
Jesus
appeared “full of grace and truth.” The mind matters. Paul would
rather “speak five words with my mind, that I may teach others also,
than ten thousand words in tongue”
(1 Cor.14: 19). We are transformed “by the renewal of our mind.”
Understanding and spiritual growth are one, and we need to create
space for the teaching gifts in our gatherings.
From Community to the Nations
Jim
Wallis wrote, “The ability of people to move to a new place tomorrow
depends on the love and acceptance they feel today… Community is the
place where the healing of our own lives becomes the foundation for the
healing of the nations.” The
Call to Conversion
Mission
only has integrity when our own houses are in order. What use is it to preach a message we haven’t lived
ourselves? St. Francis said
that we should “preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use
words!”
There
is a natural cycle in community which mirrors the cleansing cycle within
the human body. The blood flows inward to the liver for cleansing, and
then to the heart to receive oxygen. Next the heart pumps that life giving
blood outward to every member of the body.
Finally, when it has done its work, it flows inward for cleansing
again.
In the same way there is a
natural dynamic of inward and outward life in the body of Christ. There is
no foundation for outreach without community, and there is no healthy
community apart from growth. Jim Wallis writes that “both
vision and nurture are key to community. Without nurture, a community will
soon exhaust itself in pursuit of the vision. Without vision, a community
will become stuck in self-preoccupation and travel in circles. With only
vision a community soon loses any real quality of love. With only nurture
the community forgets what its love is for.”
Let’s
give John the final word…”Beloved,
let us love one another, For love is of God, and everyone who loves is
born of God and knows God… 1
John 4:7
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