Meeting Jesus at Starbucks: Good News From Those Done With Church by Vaughn J. Patrick

Author:Vaughn, J. Patrick [Vaughn, J. Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pinnacle Leadership Press
Published: 2018-11-17T16:00:00+00:00

4

SERVING

T he Dones sought community in the church. They also wanted to work with the church in making an impact in the world. Because they were disappointed and thwarted in both of these, they left congregational life.

We might be tempted to separate these two dimensions of Christian faith, belonging and serving. Yet, they go hand in hand. As we strive to nurture our relationships within the church, we discover shared passions for ministering to others outside the church. As we minister to others, we are given an opportunity to strength our bonds of fellowship with one another.

If you have ever been on a mission trip, for example, you know that one of its wonderful blessings is the growth of relationships with the other participants. Rather than staring at the back of someone’s head as we sit in rows, we work side by side, tell stories, struggle together, eat together, laugh together, pray together .

The departure of the Dones helps us to reclaim the interrelationship between belonging and serving. Indeed, community is itself a form of service.

As the old camp song goes, "Yes, they will know we are Christian by our love, by our love."

When we sing together…

When make decisions about the church budget…

When we sigh with the dying…

When we protest injustice…

When we stand up for those who have been put down…

They will know we are Christian by our love.

In whatever we do as Christian community, no matter how mundane or ridiculous, we are ever bearing witness to Christ. We are offering to the world a glimpse of God’s realm. Isolated individuals can serve God and make a significant impact on the lives of others. Yet, there is a reason that "one another" is one of Paul's favorite phrases in his New Testament writings. He is ever concerned about the faithfulness of congregations, for together they are living and breathing witnesses to Christ.

As we have noted, living in community is hard work. It is often much easier to tackle projects or assignments by ourselves. This relieves us of the burden (and the privilege!) of "one anothering," of listening, caring, and sharing. Yet, it is as we negotiate roles, resolve differences of opinion, acknowledge positions of power, and make room for one another that we show the world the presence of God. To be sure, these are fragmented glimpses of God, and we display fractured embodiments of God's image. Nevertheless, God is community, and as those fed up with the church remind us, it is through community that we might experience God in deep and challenging, yet renewing ways .

With their concerns about the church, the Dones push us to integrate our understanding of Christian community and Christian service. In short, they push us to reassess how we see the world for, as we discover in a story about a man named Nicodemus, the way we view the world shapes our priorities, our values, and our attitudes. Our vision informs and gives life to service.

A Few Unlikely Words About Nick

We all have our particular ways of looking at life.

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