Like many people, I have appreciated the sense of community that has come out of the coronavirus epidemic. The weekly clap for the NHS and other key workers, although sometimes a little awkward and forced, is a chance to join my physical neighbours in a communal act of appreciation being observed across the country.
This has made me examine my own sense of self. I have not, thankfully, known anyone personally who has been affected by this virus. My social distancing is not for myself, as I would probably be OK, but for the safety of others. I am experiencing this epidemic in a more communal way, via shared frustrations, second hand sources and sacrifices for those in greater need.
I have typically seen myself as an individual whose corporate identity was like membership. I am part of the club of people called Brits and I’ve signed up to a local Christian group that meet every Sunday. It’s only when you consider all of these associations together that you get me; I’m not one of these communities and no one of them is me.
This is the first in a series of blog posts on intersections. I’m going to be considering the tension between seemingly opposing views and how we can live in the place where they both meet.
1 Corinthians 1:10 speaks of a community being of one mind, which is something I struggle with. My local church is full of people that are different from me and this is one of the values that I love about our community. The atmosphere is welcome and accepting with little requirement for conformity. We also have differing views, with different political views and interpretations of scripture. Should we lose this diversity and acceptance of a view which is not our own?
What then does it mean to have one mind? The Holman Christian Standard Bible translates this as same understanding and same conviction. The Good News Bible says to be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose. The one purpose and conviction is the key here for me. We come together on a Sunday under the same banner with the same intention, to see Jesus’ name praised. Whichever church I am in, all over the world, the core message is the same.
In addition to the corporate objective, there may be personal goals going on under the surface. For example, I may want to learn how to follow Jesus better and the speaker may want to impart some revelation they have received. These are not mutually exclusive from the corporate aim; each of these will actually help achieve that.
The Bible uses the metaphor of a body to show how community should operate. A foot differs from a hand, but each submit to the head which is Christ. No body point can operate independently from the brain and nor can we fulfil our God given purpose without submitting to Him. It is only when we surrender our identity as separate and accept that we are blessed to be extensions of the divine that we may live full and happy lives.
This is hard to do in practice. I often fall short and break away from what God wants. Our sin takes us away from this communal identity and prevents us from being in perfect unity. Thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection, this is no barrier to entry into the Kingdom of God. It does mean that the body and the church is flawed from the start, unable to ever be perfect.
We are therefore left in this middle ground. I am a representative of a greater community of believers, but am flawed in my own individual ways, just as everyone else is. I am the church and the church is me.
A space to breathe 