"All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing. It is better for me to die on behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth. 'For what shall a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?' Him I seek, who died for us: him I desire, who rose again for our sake. This is the gain which is laid up for me. Pardon me, my brothers and sisters: do not hinder me from living, do not wish to keep me in a state of death; and while I desire to belong to God, do not give me over to the world. Suffer me to obtain pure light: when I have gone, I shall indeed be a man of God. Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my God. If any one has him within themselves, let them consider what I desire, and have sympathy with me, as knowing how I am straitened." *
As humans, we are created for community. This is part of the imago Dei which is stamped upon us. Contrary to what some have posited, God did not create this world because he was lonely and in need of something. The Christian doctrine teaches a triune Godhead, which means that God has never been in need of anything as he has always existed in a perfect community characterized by perfect love. When you translate that back down to us you find that we are people who are created for being with other people - communities.
And you see this all over our society and culture. There are millions upon millions of groups, cliques, subcultures, subsocieties, etc. . .in which we can and do participate every day of our lives. All of these communities have a purpose, whether or not it is explicitly stated by its members. Everything from running a business to having fun is fulfilled by these multi-person groups. So on this level it is not surprising that God's great plan for establishing his kingdom is a community (known as the church). The only real drawback to this is that churchgoers often superimpose ways of thinking and acting that are more suitable for these other groups onto the message and ministry of the church. Time and again the result is an ineffective body of believers.
When the church cannot help people (by either ignorance or apathy), then other communities will rise up to fill this need for a sense of belonging. Groups such as these range from both extremes: from bridge clubs to gangs. Either way, people seeking to belong will try and make anything into a fulfilling activity. People even try getting fulfillment out of church - rather than from God - either by controlling it or by participating in just enough to feel special about themselves.
All of this is to say that I am having difficulty fitting in these days. I used to work in a church and now I work in a restaurant. Somehow I feel more connected to my fellow coworkers now than I felt to the churchgoers that so often judged my every action. Somehow I feel more readily accepted as a friend and trusted ally by these (often) 'rough' characters than by ecclesiastical fundamentalists who always wanted to question my motives (no matter what I was doing). Somehow I sense a depth in these folks as they jump from relationship to relationship, beer bottle to beer bottle - all in search of their own fulfillment. And they do this together. . .in community.
I feel this connection because they are children of God and he is ever willing to run to them no matter where they are. I feel this connection because they have a passion. . .even if it is misguided. Although easily dismissed by many churchgoers, they are not fools. They have a passion and know that you cannot do much with wet wood. . .
. . .I would suppose this is why they often shy away from our gatherings.
*The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans, ca. A.D. 100
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