Good and Beautiful Community | Monday | 9/28

Love the Community You Actually Have

1 Corinthians 12:12–27

Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. ¹³ We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Certainly the body isn’t one part but many. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not a hand,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? ¹⁶ If the ear says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not an eye,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, what would happen to the hearing? And if the whole body were an ear, what would happen to the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as it is, God has placed each one of the parts in the body just like he wanted. ¹⁹ If all were one and the same body part, what would happen to the body? ²⁰ But as it is, there are many parts but one body. ²¹ So the eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” or in turn, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” ²² Instead, the parts of the body that people think are the weakest are the most necessary. ²³ The parts of the body that we think are less honorable are the ones we honor the most. The private parts of our body that aren’t presentable are the ones that are given the most dignity. ²⁴ The parts of our body that are presentable don’t need this. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor ²⁵ so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. ²⁷ You are the body of Christ and parts of each other.

We all have an ideal community somewhere in our imagination.

It is filled with people we enjoy. Relationships come naturally. Conflict is rare. Everyone participates. Everyone behaves. Nobody disappoints us. Nobody requires too much grace.

There is only one problem.

That community doesn't exist.

Bonhoeffer warned that we can become so attached to our dream of Christian community that we actually damage the real community God has given us. We become disappointed when people don't meet our expectations, frustrated when relationships become difficult, and resentful when church doesn't feel like we imagined it would.

But Christ doesn't give us an ideal community. Christ gives us real people and teaches us to love them.    

Christian community isn't something we manufacture by finding exactly the right collection of people. It is something Christ builds as imperfect people learn to receive and extend grace.

Maybe the person who frustrates you isn't an obstacle to community.

Maybe learning to love them is part of how Christ is creating community.

Reflect: 

Where might your expectations of other people be keeping you from loving the people God has actually placed around you?

Pray: 

Jesus, free me from loving my ideal of community more than the people around me. Give me patience for imperfect people, humility about my own imperfections, and grace to love the community you have actually given me. Amen.