In a Celtic understanding of spirituality, there exists "thin spots" which offer the greatest potential for experiencing the Divine. Celtic Christians adopted this understanding which can be seen in the many stone crosses and the location of abbeys near the mountains or the sea. These were seen as the "thin spots" where the barrier between natural and spiritual realms were thinnest. Another way in which the Celtic Christians worked out this concept was in the formation of monastic communities. These communities became centers of spiritual formation, education, prayer, and ministry.
I am currently attempting to define the concept of biblical community and re-imagine what it might look like in the lives of middle and high school students. A difficulty I'm finding in this process however is the intangible and ambiguous nature of community. I want to define it in terms of our relationships. But we experience varying levels of community within our interactions with others. And as I read Bonhoeffer's Life Together, I'm cautioned by his caveat that Christian community is completely based on our common experience of God's grace in and through Jesus Christ. His caution is especially not to expect too much from community or make it into something that is more social than spiritual (like warm fuzzies I suppose).
Why is this such a difficult concept to grasp and explain? Could it be that I've only had fleeting glimpses and experiences of true biblical community? That I don't even understand it from personal experience or present immersion? A part of me is somewhat timid about pushing this idea to its ultimate conclusion I must admit. I think to seriously live Life Together and teach others to do the same could mean a complete and radical interpretation of what youth ministry looks like. But I'm simultaneously intrigued with that thought...since one of the fears I have is that without a major change of paradigm, the present "machine" of youth ministry will just continue to produce idividualistic, isolated, consumer-minded Christians who continue to be in motion without meaning.
I'd love to hear some more thoughts on community...what it is? ...what it isn't? ...what it might look like at various stages of life and development?
3 comments:
Good thoughts. Kelsie and I living on ENC's campus has allowed us to be intentional about leaving our doors open for anybody to come, invitation or not. I feel like this has been a great start for us to begin to see real community - letting go of privacy - we still end up with plenty of privacy, but we choose to be intentional about openness rather than closedness. We have grown to love it - definitely a transition, but it has a way of allowing others to be vulnerable on their schedule, rather than ours - especially the deconstructing twenty year olds.
It also becomes a symbol of what the church should be - a place of rest rather than guilt, a place of listening rather than preaching, a place of table fellowship rather than a potentially meaningless communion, a place of shelter for the suffering and homeless rather than locked doors with security systems.
It has been powerful to see other people and students wanting to implement the same lifestyle that we seemed to have stumbled on.
What do you think, Chris?
I appreciate your thoughts and dialogue.
I think you're in a good "place." The church is more often a facility or some kind of time-share rather than a sanctuary or hospice for the humbled.
Chris,
One of the main problems I see for youth ministry is parents. How are you supposed to teach their children about community when there is often no such thing being modeled in their homes? In many ways the system is broken. It's a little much for a youth pastor to do on his/her own. Maybe that last statement is a microcosm of the brokenness.
Why do so many teens walk away from their faith when they leave the youth group? It's not because they had a crappy youth pastor. It's because we have made this primarily about a system of beliefs and not a real community of faith. It is because it's easy to walk away from beliefs that you're not sure you believe in in the first place. Most people don't want to walk away from what Kyle is talking about.
OK, I guess there are no answers in all that. Just more questions. That's all I've got! Peace brother...
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