community

Reflecting on life as a community.....

One end of the spectrum is what i call the "Boiling Pot community." This is where there is outright conflict, each person lives for his own plans and desires. The end point is me, mine and no more.

From this stage, because of various issues, the community might move to seeming peace. This is the "Simmering Fire community". Due to contextual pressures, there is a cohabitation, but an inner cold war. There is a hai, bye relationships but still the end point continues to be me.

Some where down the line, due to a common agenda which needs to be fulfilled, people move into a "Lukewarm community" where there is peaceful coexistence for a common agenda. The end point of coming together is the common agenda, usually work, ministry or institution.

From there, if guided well, one moves into a "Warming community". This stage is where members are protective of community, because the identity comes from being part of the community. To some extend each other functions as "brothers keepers" because in protecting each other you keep the community together, which itself is the end point.

As one continues in the journey of living in community, a realization of the need of caring for each other could emerge. This stage of "Footwashers community", is where there is growth in understanding of the need to care for each other, growing in openness to each other. Many a times even at this stage, community remains the end point.

The ultimate expression is the " Community of the Cross" a group of people who are broken, bound by the uniting factor of being broken but healed at the foot of the cross. Here people are dependent on God and interdependent on each other. The end point is Christ, His Cross and His Glory......

Santhosh

Comments

  1. I wonder how many of us see 'brokenness' as an expression of the our belief in Christ. Rather, self sufficiency appears to rule the roost. And in such a context, one's spiritual superiority over his fellow believer is much emphasized. And everyone appears to be in a race to prove how intense is his belief. And to make matters worse, this is measured by materialism.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Waiting and Wasting

Community our nation needs...

Weary of doing good