A radically different community!
It is normal to gravitate to "people like us": whether it is similar views, class, education, politics or wealth. There is a subtle agreement about the way things should be that endorses our choices and gives us a sense of security and comfort. Even our news feeds are massaged by cyber algorithms to tell us what we want to hear. The communities that develop disconnect from, and distrust, those that don’t share their views. Fissures appear throughout an increasingly polarised society.
Not so in Jesus' community! He seemed to delight in sitting zealots next to tax collectors and prostitutes next to pharisees. He then challenges their prejudices, preconceived ideas and worldviews with something much larger. That means people need to leave partisan thinking to join His radically different community. A community that looks, talks, behaves and loves as He does. And there's the acid test. What Would Jesus Do was meant to be more than a wristband. If there are fissures in our churches, if people polarise into groups, it may be worth remembering that Jesus unites people around the Kingdom of God, not let them divide into their factions. Which are we going to do?
It's natural to go to a church where we feel comfortable. So we have the black majority church, the studenty church, the young adult church, the young family church and the socially engaged church. The list goes on. (And of course all these churches have SOME diversity.) And then we have the online christian prophetic personalities, where it can still seem we say: "I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Cephas". Not that there's anything wrong with favourite preachers. But if we seperate off, are we missing out? It seems that Jesus' group was a real hotch potch: and that's the point!
So if in our churches we find those who want to throw a Trump celebration party and those who despair of American politics, what do we do? If we have those who want to endorse Israel's right to self-defence and those who see their involvement in Gaza as genocide, how do we reconcile? Just a few years ago it was whether we vaxed or anti-vaxed! And these are real issues facing the church today. Are we mature enough for some honest challenge to ideas that seem out of kilter with Jesus' way of being? And if we can't agree, can we at least hold back on our pet theologies for the sake of loving our brother or sister? Because we're probably not always going to win others to our cause. Getting offended and leaving the room doesn't help. Listening to each other does. Can we find anything Christ-like in each other's viewpoint? If it gets tough for you, you can always use the weaker brother teaching...
... In 1 Cor 8 and Rom 14, Paul tells the stronger brother not to let his freedom stumble the weaker brother. Okay, it's about food laws, but it can be applied wherever Christians disagree over what's what. And the totally brilliant thing? You don't have to specify who the weaker brother is! So both parties can take the moral high ground and love each other anyway! In fact the church is one of the few places where there can be brotherly and sisterly love between Palestinian and Jew, Irish Catholic and Northern-Irish Protestant, pro-establishment stalwart and social agitator.
Because it's never really been about earthly kingdoms, politics, or circumstances, but about a kingdom that is from above. Jesus' radical new community. So lets focus on being Jesus to a troubled, confused, deceived & broken world, where everyone should be loved, without condition, full stop. Love God, love each other, love our enemies. Wasn't that the message? And in that, finding a communication to the world that most maturely reflects His message. If we can do that, radically, sacrificially and intentionally, the world might just say "that we are His disciples, by the love we have for one another" John 13:35. So let's unite into His kingdom, not separate off into ours!
But easier said than done. So Lord give me grace with all those weaker brothers! (And I hope I’m not one!)