How can a Christian community thrive?
In the Gospel of John, when Jesus first appears to his disciples after his resurrection, he immediately says, Peace be with you. Breathing on them, Jesus gives them new life in the Spirit, echoing creation when God breathed the breath of life into the man he formed out of the dust of the ground. Like the first man, the disciples will be transformed by this experience of the risen Lord, but the Lord’s primary intention is that they transition from an experience of his physical presence to one in which he will be spiritually present to them, spiritually connected to the community and its members. Jesus therefore first calls them to the peace they need to find in him, that they might thrive and, like Thomas, proclaim their faith, My Lord and my God!
It is this peace that will allow the community, in the Acts of the Apostles, to pool their resources, that the Twelve might dedicate themselves to preaching the good news, bearing witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The preaching of the Word is altering the way people live, the way they see themselves and others. The Acts of the Apostles offers an idyllic vision of Christian community, one they strive for, one they try to live fully. Their transformation is fueled by the Word of God, such that they can, as in Psalm 118, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, and recognize that his love is everlasting. The community will thrive if they ground themselves first and foremost in the Word of God that is Christ.
To be begotten by God is to have received the gift of faith in God through Jesus Christ, the First Letter of John tells us. To love the Father is to love Jesus, and, by extension, to love the Christian community, those begotten through baptism. Our participation in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord by keeping his commandments is a sure way to express our love for God and for all members of the Christian community, and our identity in that community is not static, but dynamic. All are part of this one identity, grounded in the multi-dimensional idea of what it means to belong to God and to be begotten by God. When we experience the Spirit of God at work in us, the Spirit testifies to our faith, to our being begotten, to truth. And most of all, the Spirit breathes life into the community we share in Christ. Only then can we truly thrive!
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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