Growing community

John 15: 9-17
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
May 6, 2018

         When you hear the word “church”, what’s the first thing you think of? 

• People
• Community
• Fellowship
• Faith
• God (3x)
• Worship service
• Pastor
• Prayer
• Service
• Love
• Mission
• Caring
• Jesus

         When you hear the word “community”, what do you think of? 

• Non-existent
• Sharing
• Neighbors
• Support
• Friends
• Potluck meals
• Shared ideology
• Acceptance
• Worship service
• Family
• Village

         

         We think of church as an example of community but is community an example of church? More and more, people who identify as Christian or as spiritual but not religious are making and finding intentional community outside of traditional church. I’m not talking about church on the golf course or the hiking trail or the beach or with the Sunday morning newspaper, although we all need that sometimes. I once saw a photo of someone in a kayak alone on a misty lake with the caption: “Religion is a person sitting in church thinking about kayaking. Spirituality is a person sitting in a kayak thinking about God.” But we can no more say “I am the church” than a student can say “I am the class” or a soccer player can say “I am the team”. On the other hand, as Garrison Keillor once said, sitting in church doesn’t make you any more of a Christian than sitting in your garage makes you a car.



         

         Community is something that is grown, and good community, good church helps us grow: spiritually, emotionally, resiliently. Intentional community outside the church sometimes reminds me of organic farming. It’s not quite as organized but there is some planning involved. Rather than weeding out the clover, allow it to grow and feed nitrogen into the soil for the vegetables. Marigolds in with the veggies might keep the deer away but they do a better job with the aphids. Let your chickens have free range through the garden to eat the bugs and add a little natural fertilizer. It can get messy and mucky. Have lots of patience and don’t be too attached to the outcome. And remember, it may not look perfect but there will be food that will be nourishing and delicious to eat, plus some to share.



         

         One example of intentional community outside the church that we’ve experimented with is our Beer and Carols event at Grain on Main during Advent—the goal of which is not to get people to come to church but to grow community through the church, to plant seeds. The first year we had to sing over the music coming through the speakers. I was about to come down with bronchitis. I don’t think anyone sang with us. But we had fun. The next year the owners at Grain said they’d turn off the music when we sang. A few people joined in here and there.

This past year they put the event up on the sign outside, creating an expectation of caroling. We had two women join us who saw the event on Facebook. Later I found out that people were impatient for us to begin! So next year, I’ll begin with an announcement of a timetable and hand out song sheets to anyone who’d like to join us.

Beer and Carols, 2017

         

         I’m not saying we should do away with institutional church, by no means. This is where we hear the gospel of forgiveness and the world calling for justice and where we find time for rest, to be refreshed and cared for, to be seen and valued and heard, and yet not perfectly but hopefully honestly, truthfully. But the days of attracting people to become a part of a church are on the wane and have been for some time. And yet church, community is still so very much needed, especially the no-matter-what kind of community. It’s not easy to let go of our expectations of how things should be. I read on a blog earlier this week: “Dashed expectations are a big factor to burnout. We will often work extra hard and long to make sure the outcome is what we expect it to be, because we believe it will lower our anxiety if we remain in control.”



         

         Jesus had one expectation: Love one another as I have loved you. The purpose of this expectation? That his joy would be in us so that our joy might be complete, whole, full. This is the fruit we will bear; this is the outcome of growing community. Which means church is more than who we are in this place, more than what we do because we are church. Church is wherever, whenever we are connected to something greater than ourselves that compels us to share who we are and what we have with others—to love one another. Our whole lives are a sacrament and the world is the Table where our lives are broken open and poured out for forgiveness’ sake. Amen.