"What is Community?"

This week in our study we focus on community, and especially the challenge that our American individualism poses to our sense of community. As you ponder how individualism has affected your life, please take a look at this article by Rev. Christopher Hall in the lastest Lutheran Witness: (http://classic.lcms.org/pages/wPage.asp?ContentID=1036&IssueID=56)
In this short piece, Hall talks about how our confession of the Trinity is the very foundation for the community that we share together. God is not alone, but has always enjoyed community within himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit even before the creation of the world. Next week also happens to be Trinity Sunday as well, which makes this essay all the more timely. To spare you the link, here is the full text of the article:

The Holy Trinity and Life Together by Christopher Hall

The Athanasian Creed confesses the Church’s belief in the Trinity. What is the relationship between the three Persons of the Trinity, and what does that mean for our Life Together?

At many LCMS churches on the Sunday after Pentecost, the congregation will sit for the creed instead of standing. Instead of turning to the Nicene Creed or loosely holding their bulletin, they will turn to a page in the hymnal used only once a year. As they speak of their faith in the Holy Trinity, pastors and people alike will not close their eyes or look at the altar; everyone will be reading the words. They will be reading the words because the creed they are speaking is used so infrequently and is so lengthy that few (if any) have it memorized. It’s the Athanasian Creed.

And it is a doozy—repetitive, long, intricate and so confusing that often words of explanation are offered in the bulletins or before the creed is recited. But it’s thorough, detailing who the Holy Trinity is and what He isn’t, and that is why it’s used.

But using it may give the impression that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is an intellectual puzzle, an academic exercise in logic and definitions. It can give the impression that the Holy Trinity can only be understood by intellectual giants, that most of us are so bewildered by Him that we don’t even want to think about it.

Yet God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and does not reveal Himself in ways that only geniuses can understand. While there are specific ways we can refer to our triune God, while there are facts to know and memorize, God is more than something mentally to be grasped and understood. There is another way of understanding the Holy Trinity who speaks to us and relates to us in a fundamental way.

Created to be together

God made human beings to have relationships with one another. When Adam had no mate, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). He created the woman so that man would have a relationship with another, so that he would have someone to love and serve. He created that couple, and every couple since, to have a relationship with others as well.

In fact, our existence is established with others. God created the womb to be the perfect environment for growing a new life. But life beginning inside the mother also reveals something profound: We are created to be together, to live together, to have life together, so much so that God forms us and gives us life inside of another human being. The couple—the husband and wife—were not created to be alone but to bear children when God allows it. Once the child is born, he or she remains in a community, broadened to parents and siblings and extended family.

Relationships with others continue in every way throughout our lives, and it is within those relationships that our faith expresses itself, where it is put to the test. It is only with others that our love can be expressed and used, that we can be forgiven and strengthened. Love demands another to love.

God creates a community because He is a community. He creates us with others because He is with others. He is not alone. He is One but also Three: the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

The relationship of the Trinity

In all three creeds we recite—the Apostles’, the Nicene and the Athanasian—we confess that the Son of God is begotten of the Father. This does not mean that the Father reproduced Himself to form the Son in a biological way, like a father begets a son in our lives, but the First Person of the Trinity’s relationship with the Second is like that of Father and Son. And it always has been that way, because the Son is eternally present.

The Nicene Creed confesses it this way: that the Son of God was “begotten before all worlds.” In other words, the Son has existed with the Father since eternity. That is hard to imagine—impossible, really—but the fact remains that before the beginning of time there was Father and Son, together one God, yet in a relationship to one another like that of Father and Son.

The creeds also express the relationship between the Father and Son together and the Holy Spirit. But in this relationship, the Nicene Creed confesses that the Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son.” Again, it is impossible for us to imagine what this means or looks like. But it does affirm that there is a relationship between each of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity.

God is love

Scripture testifies to this “inner relationship” of the Trinity. We can see this relationship that is at the heart of the Godhead when St. John writes, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This is more than a warm and wooly feeling, more than a vague and emotional statement. It is at the heart of who God is. In order to love, there must be someone to love. St. Paul refers to this in the famous passage from 1 Corinthians, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful” (1 Cor. 13:4–5).

In other words, love is always directed at another person. It is always a denial of oneself in favor of the other, their interests and their life and being. In this sense, self-love is an oxymoron, like saying “married bachelor.” We cannot love ourselves if we truly understand what love is. Love is always about the other.

If God is love itself, then God must have another to love. It is not enough to say that He loves His creation. He does, but if that is the only “other” that He loved, then before creation, God would not have been love. No, if God is love in its perfect and biblical definition, then love also describes His relationship with Himself. The Father loves the Son and the Spirit. The Son loves the Father and the Spirit. The Spirit loves the Father and the Son. In other words, God is One, but since God is love, He loves within Himself, in the way of the Holy Trinity.

When we confess the Athanasian Creed, we also see that God is never alone. God Himself is a community, a relationship. He is One but also Three and always One in Three and Three in One. This love of God passes to us who have been created in His own image, who were also created in a community with Him and given a community with one another. We, too, are created to express our love not by ourselves, not by looking in a mirror, but in community with spouse and children, friends and neighbors.

Uncreated, infinite, eternal

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is more than an academic principle, more than just a set of facts to be memorized and recited. It is more than something strane and odd and hard to understand. God is the foundation and source of life and being and creation. And God is relationship—one God, three persons, each relating to and loving one another . . . and loving us.

Even when the Son of God became a man, He reflects and teaches this inner life of God—this community of God, the relationship He has with the Father—and relates it to us. He says that He is One with the Father, that we may be One with Him (John 17:22). He says the Word He speaks is not His own but was given by His Father (John 14:10). Jesus’ ministry was centered on glorifying His Father in allowing Himself to do what the Father sent Him for. But it is double-sided: All that Jesus said and did was for us and our salvation.

Jesus does the Father’s will and speaks the Father’s Word completely and faithfully and obediently and lovingly. And what He speaks is life-giving and eternal. What the Father has, the Son gives, and it is eternal life. You could even say He gives Himself. He is life and love, and He gives Himself to those who hear, to those He calls, to those who listen to His Word.

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This week we focus on "The Gospel." The Gospel is that element that makes our Christian community unique. Every community offers something. Kelly and I have been going to some yoga classes this past week. It's interesting to hear the instructor talk about the sense of "community" they share through the practice. I think that word "community" gets thrown around a lot because people are longing to be connected. Every "community" gathers around a shared interest that offers something. That "something" that we share and offer in the church is the Gospel. Do you remember a few weeks ago at Bible study when worked on a definition of the gospel based on a number of Scripture passages? We came up with a pretty complex definition, because the Gospel is a small word for something very big. The Gospel is centered in the life of Jesus, his death, and his resurrection for our salvation. This is what defines our community. In our reading for today, we saw that the Gospel is BIG and covers every area of our human existence. But there's one part of the Gospel I want you to focus on especially that relates to our community. And that is the presence of God. The presence of God is the best news there is. The forgiveness of sin, justification, eternal life... these are all good news because they give us the gift of God's presence - forever. This is what we enjoy in our community, and will enjoy forever. And this presence of God is what we offer to people around us. The picture above is a Greek Orthodox icon representing representing to hospitality of Abraham to the visiting strangers in Genesis 18. As far as I can tell, this icon has also been interpretted as the Trinity. But notice that there is an open seat at the table. It's almost as if the three persons sharing fellowship at a table are inviting in a missing guest. And so it is with the Gospel. Our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, invites us into his presence. And this is the posture that we take as a community. There's always an open seat at the table. We take a posture of invitation into the presence of God given in the Gospel.

Catching Up... 2.3-2.7 "What is Incarnational"

Wow... Having a birthday, a beach day, and a Memorial Day weekend is really bad for keeping up with a blog. For those of you who attended the Beach day, thanks for coming, it was great to spend time with you all. And for those who were able to make Bible study on Sunday, thanks for the shared meal and discussion. This week for Bible study I'd like for us to meet and have a meal together, and then have our Bible study around the table like we did on Sunday night. I felt like we were more connected and relaxed that way. As you read through the Gospels, you notice that Jesus is often eating with people. To eat with someone is a way of sharing fellowship. Let's do the same this Sunday. Any ideas on what we should do (Mexican, BBQ, potluck style)?

1.2 [Meditation] "What is Incarnational"

For today's reading, please check out this short essay, especially the last few paragraphs that talk about how we do evangelism:
http://archives.wittenburgdoor.com/archives/lastword-186.html

2.1 [Exploration] "What is Incarnational"

An added thought to today's reading....
Have you ever heard the word "postmodern?" That word brings forth a variety of emotions - some positive, some negative, and if unfamiliar with the definition, perhaps apathy. Although many Christians often react negatively to the broad term "postmodernism" (usually its tendency to downplay absolute truth in favor of subjective experience), we need to recognize that this is our social context. Postmoderns focus on emotion over reason, are comfortable holding onto paradoxes and opposing truths, and are often critical of authority. Whether we know it or not, this mindset has effected all of us in one way or another. Now stick with me for a minute (I know this is getting kind of philisophical...). The movement postmodernism replaced was called "modernism." This way of thinking viewed the world in terms of what can be proved by scientific study and research, reason, etc. How does this relate to the church and culture? Well, how many times have you heard people try to prove the Bible, argue people into accepting Jesus, etc? This has its place, for Christianity is a thinking faith and is rooted in historical events. But can you see how this approach would not work very well with people our age? This is why standing on the corner with a sign or passing out pamphlets on how to get your "ticket to heaven" are innefective, and in my opinion, hurtful. These methods lack relationship, and at their worst are confrontational (My belief system can own your belief system in an argument!") Just as John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us," our Christian witness takes on flesh and dwells among people of all types, inviting them to actually see the life we have in Jesus. It is from here that the truth is offered. My question for you is this: "What might be some challenges that we face as the young adult community at Bethlehem? What attitudes or habits might have to be examined and reconsidered in light of our context?"
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you said that I am the light of the world and the salt of the earth. May our community give light in dark places and flavor to the dullness of existence without you. Amen.

1.7 [Communion] "What is Missional?"

Today we set aside some intentional time to commune with God. This is the very center of our life together. We spend time alone with out Lord so that when we meet, we have something to give one another. In a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer called "Life Together," he has the following to say about our time alone before God:

"Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. He will only do harm to himself and to the community. Alone you stood before God when he called you; alone you had to answer that call; alone you had to struggle and pray; and alone you will die and give an account to God. You cannot escape from yourself; for God has singled you out. If you refuse to be alone, you are rejecting Christ's call to you, and you have no part in the community of those who are called. "The challenge of death comes to us all, and no one can die for another. Everyone must fight his own battles with death by himself, alone... I will not be with you then, nor you with me" (Luther).

But the reverse is also true: Let him who is not in community beware of being alone. Into the community you were called, the call was not meant for you alone; in the community of the called you bear the cross, you struggle, you pray. You are not alone, even in death, and on the Last Day you will be only one member of the great congregation of Jesus Christ, and this your solitude can only be hurtful to you. "If I die, then I am not alone in death; if I suffer they [the fellowship] suffer with me" (Luther).

1.6 [Calibration] "What is Missional?"

Today's reading talks about the adjustments we make in our lives when we realize that we are sent. One of those adjustments consists in making time spent with those on the outside a priority. This priority, which consists in being present, cultivating a relationship of trust, and responding to needs, may even take priority over the time we spend at church (I'm not talking about worship, of course, but church activities). The reason is that being with those who don't know Christ is better than waiting for them to come to us. Back in St. Louis, one of the tax preparation companies advertises by dressing up their poor employees in statue of liberty costumes. During tax season it's common to see them out on the street, waving everyone in. Here in Jacksonville we have the equivalent with the "Cash for Gold!" guy that stands out on Beach Blvd. A friend of mine in St. Louis commented once that the church's evangelism techniques often follow this model. We develop a program or an event and try to wave people in off the streets. This is helpful sometimes, but will never reach a large part of our local community. Like the guys on the side of the road waving signs, nonbelievers sense that we too are trying to "sell something." There is no substitute for going. That one word "go" makes all the difference. And like we talked about last night, we are all sent (our families, jobs, neighbors, etc.). One of the questions that stands out to me in our reflection section is "What activities or hobbies do you love that you could invite them to share with you?" In other words, instead of creating a "Christian biking group" with people that think and act like you, why not go out and join a normal biking group in your community?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank you that where ever I go, you go. I am never alone. Open my eyes to see those opportunities that you have given me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.