:: M squared T ::

:: Sunday, February 16, 2003 ::

I just got done talking with a couple of friends about what it means to be community. It seems that much of what we perceive to be community is merely a periodic gathering of an aggregate of individuals - not really community at all. A group of people who get on a plane for a flight from Chicago to LA, and all participate in the takeoff, the in-flight movie, the food, the dinky restrooms and the landing are not for that reason a community. Sure, they all were in the same place at the same time; they all went from Chicago to LA; they all participated similarly in the same event. But no one would label your average domestic flight an experience of community. Actually, most of the time, we just try to ignore everyone as much as possible so we can do our thing.

Yet, week after week, many people expect community in churches that are very much analogous to the flight. We gather in a group with people we don't know, participate largely in parallel with these strangers (singing hymns, hearing a sermon or message or talk or whatever the current fad word is, take communion/eucharist, etc.), and then we leave. Usually we are at least civil and exchange some sort of greeting. This, in and of itself, is not community. Changing the order or the colors or the meeting place or using candles doesn't make a lick of difference as far as that goes. (Personally, I like candles. Incense, too.)

:: Matt 2/16/2003 03:25:00 PM :: permalink :: ::
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