Community Can Get Messy

There’s a part of me that refuses to give up on people, even total screw-ups. I suppose it’s because I was once a total screw-up. Many wrote me off when I strayed, but there were those precious few who believed all was not lost. Had it not been for one particular brother, I might still be head deep in the muck today. When someone pulls you from the pit, it teaches you something about grace. I’ve learned that messy people don’t respond well to a pointing finger. They need a helping hand. If you rub a fallen brother’s nose in his own muck, he only sinks deeper. At least that’s my experience. I have nothing to thank the sin sniffing church narcs for. The pit became my safe haven away from them, even though it was killing me. But I am in debt to the one who rolled up his sleeves and reached out to me. He helped me become a living testimony to the power of grace.

I’m not proud of my sinful past, but if I can be grateful for one thing, it has shown me that there is always hope, even for the messiest of people. This needs to be realized in a church community. We must always believe the best about others, even when they fall. Turning up our noses and huffing, “What a hypocrite!” is not the proper response. We must never lose hope in another. Never! Does not our faith declare that souls are salvageable? Is not the Bible a message of redemption? Does not the heart of God cry out to the fallen? We all know the answer: yes, yes and yes!

Judging those who fall is a most cowardly thing when you think about it. That’s because it offers an easy way out. You really don’t have to do much, other than permit feelings of superiority to cloud your skull like a hit off a bong. But even that won’t cure one’s insecurity. It merely perpetuates it. The real heroes are those who roll up their sleeves and plunge their hands deep into the nappy scum, even if it’s just to rescue a fool from his own folly. However, such courage does not come without disappointments. There are no guarantees the fallen brother will want out. He may even sink to the bottom, and smile like a dope the entire way down. That’s why it’s easier to be a judge than a hero. Judges don’t suffer from broken hearts. If a sinner sinks, they might even be happy about the outcome. A hero weeps. That’s why it takes guts to be one.

Community

With all this talk about “community” these days, I truly think we would benefit more from what the ancients had to say on the subject. Take Nehemiah for example. Now, there was a man who understood community like no other. He not only wrote the book on it, he lived it. Nehemiah was used to rally a huge community of willing volunteers to rebuild the wall of God’s holy city. We are told that they “set their hands to this good work.” (2:18) It also states in Nehemiah’s journal that, “the people had a mind to work.” (4:6) Together they labored side by side, overcame the obstacles and they even donated toward the project. Once their mission was accomplished, they all celebrated the blessings of community and glorified the very God their community was founded upon. You see, there is an expectation that comes with community – people must pull together for a common good. Unless you do, you’re not really a part. You’re just taking up space - living off the benefits of community, and sponging off the grace of those who build it.

To really understand the definition of community, all one needs to do is dissect the term from its compounded form: common-unity. That says it all right there, doesn’t it? There must be a common purpose that unites a people together. In a church community, that purpose would be to build on the foundation of Christ and bear fruit that brings glory to the Father. This opens the door for all kinds of opportunity. And if God is in it, the people must set their hands to the good work, and they must have a mind to work. Then, once the goal is finally achieved, the blessings of community are fully realized. There is excitement, celebration and a super sense of gratification and accomplishment.

It is said that no man is an island. I’m not so convinced. It seems to me that there are a lot of little islands out there. They are loners who never really integrate with others. I truly feel for them. Because they are non-producers and contribute nothing to the wellbeing of those around them, their lives lack meaning. I have found that God shows us our sense of purpose through community. I have also learned that community can only be achieved through group participation. There must be willing volunteers who are united to accomplish a common good. People need something greater than a paycheck to show for their selves, something that was motivated from the heart and that says you’re worth more than just a dollar amount. Community offers just that, at least church community does. It offers a sense of value that the corporate world cannot.