Tonight at the church discussion group I found myself linking the threads of conversation together toward the topic of communion and breaking bread. Breaking bread, in the Christian community, is highly significant for as many reasons as there are people who take the communion in their home churches. Our central theme tonight was the community of the early church and their practices to maintain that community and how those are applicable to us in our Christian communities today.
The topic was drawn away to the subject of baptism. At first I wanted to be irritated and then I realized that the exact purpose of discussion groups is that they allow for a bit of controlled meandering. Ultimately I saw how the discussion of baptism and the discussion of Christian community and communion wove together. In fact there were few topics where I could fail to see a connection back in towards the Christian community and the communion of that community. The purpose and ultimate beauty of that relationship between believers seems to me to require the discussion of and understanding of multiple facets of the Christ led life. While the impression given is one of a tranquil brotherhood with respected leadership and well established modes of operation I believe, and would bet on it, that the established community remained viable through lively debate and discussion of the faith.
Also, tonight I had a full understanding of the absolute necessity of attracting people who have questions, concepts, lack of knowledge, are odd, are, at times, difficult to relate to and who challenge us to come out of our established community. It is our purpose to attract and minister to such people. I am guilty of making huge assumptions and judging....contempt prior to investigation is the perfect attribute to describe my own prejudices. Tonight I realized that the blend of people attending our Wednesday night discussions is critically important. I left the gathering with a heart filled with excitement and delight. Our community is drawing others to us. Not the already schooled and jaded Christians but the lost and craving community Christians and non-Christians.
We have a delicate balance to maintain. I pray the God of this universe, of all eternity tempers us, opens our hearts and our minds to this opportunity to blend each person into our community just as they are and without reservation.
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