A New Commandment: Experiencing Biblical Community
John 13:31-35 Aug 31, 2003
Intro:
I think I am in denial. Summer can’t possibly be over, tomorrow can’t be the first day of September, the fall can’t be here already… I know some of you parents with school-age children are singing along with the back-to-school-supplies commercial, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year…” and you are looking forward to sending your kids to school Tuesday morning, but I also know that many of us are wondering where the summer disappeared to – maybe feeling like it vanished quickly, and we are feeling somewhat apprehensive about all the fall means. Maybe even a little anxious. We expect it to be busy, hectic, stressful. Back to the grind.
In all the busyness of fall, we sometimes don’t stop to reflect on what is really most important. By the time we give our attention to all the demands that are placed on us, there is little time, money, or energy left for the things that matter most. Recognizing that is difficult, I’d like to use our time this morning to think that way – what is most important heading into this fall?
Where We’ve Been:
As leaders at Laurier, we’ve spent a lot of time seeking God over the summer. And we’ve been talking about seeking God’s Kingdom first throughout July and August. Asking that question – “what is most important?” We have sought God’s heart through prayer, His Word, discussion, and numerous other resources. And we have heard God speaking and leading. I’d like you to turn to Jn 13, a passage that best describes what we have been hearing God say about our priorities as a church and what we need to focus on.
Jn 13:31-35:
The scene is in the upper room, on the night Jesus was betrayed and handed over to be crucified. Jesus and His disciples have finished the last supper, Judas has left, and Jesus now shares His last conversation preparing His disciples for life without his physical presence. Read.
A New Command:
Since Jesus is leaving, He gives His disciples “a new command” (vs. 34) – to love one another as Jesus loved them. It is “new” not in the sense that God had not commanded us to love one another before – Jesus identified “loving your neighbour as yourself” as the second most important commandment after loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is new in two ways: first it is new in that it is part of the new covenant, which Jesus had just established through the last supper, when He said “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” Jesus defines the terms of this new covenant here – that it is to be characterized by this new commandment of loving each other just as Jesus loved us. And that leads to the second way it is new – it is new in terms of its depth. Previously, we were commanded to love others “as ourselves” – our love for others should be as deep as our love for ourselves. Now, however, the standard of love for one another is “as Jesus loved us.” He continues in vs 35 to state that this is the single distinguishing characteristic He desires His disciples to be known for – the depth of their love for one another.
I think we have a ways to go. In the church everywhere, and right here at Laurier.
Vertical and Horizontal:
We can think of our faith relationship in two dimensions – the “vertical” dimension, which is our personal relationship with God, and the “horizontal” dimension which is our relationships with one another. As I thought back over the past year in the life of our church, we have been focusing on the “vertical” dimension of faith, and now we have felt God calling us to concentrate on the “horizontal” dimension – our human relationships. And so that has guided our thinking and praying for the fall. I believe it is currently our greatest need.
And I see that need for myself, also. As I think about my “vertical” relationship, I recognize a bunch of areas I need to grow in – in consistency and discipline and reliance on the Spirit’s power. But I also experience God’s presence in a very real way in my life, walking beside me, encouraging me, convicting me, and giving me strength and power for life and service in His Kingdom. But that isn’t enough. And I’m convinced that no matter what height of spiritual maturity I ever reach by God’s grace, that will never be enough. Does that statement surprise you? It surprises me! Aren’t we taught that God is all we need, all we can count on, the only one we can really rely on? Yes, we are. But that isn’t a complete Biblical teaching. Even if there was no sin in the world, it would not be enough. Remember the creation of Adam – before sin entered the world, God concluded “it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion.” Adam walked with God without sin, and God said, “He needs a companion.”
And so even though I am walking with God, I find in my own life it is not enough. I am lonely. I feel separated, a little disconnected, like things in my world aren’t lining up the way they are supposed to. I am not regularly sharing in the lives of a consistent group of others on a deep basis, I have no good friends outside of my wife with whom I spend time weekly – or maybe even monthly. Put simply, I am not part of a small, intimate community where I can love and be loved as Jesus loved. Now let me clarify – I feel very loved and supported by this larger church community, and as pastor I have the great privilege of sharing deeply in people’s lives at some of the most significant moments, both good and bad. And I have numerous friends whom I could and would call on in a time of crisis. But we don’t share our lives regularly. I am not part of a group outside of my family with whom I meet regularly to share my life and their life. I am not part of a deep, intimate, consistent, Biblical community.
Can you relate? Do feel lonely also? Isolated? Disconnected? Busy certainly, but not full of the life that Jesus promised? Does something just seem to be missing in your relationships with others?
The Problem:
Part of the root of the problem is loneliness. Our society is not geared towards creating deep, lasting relationships – in fact most of the forces in our society work against forming deep and lasting relationships. And so our deep need – to be known for who we are and to be accepted and loved for who we are – often goes unmet.
Jesus’ Solution:
John 13 holds the solution: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
Try for just a moment to imagine what that would truly be like. To love and be loved as Jesus loved. Can you picture it? It would be strong, it would be good, it would be adventurous and at times out of our comfort zone, but it would be so good and pure that none of that would matter. We could be threatened by others, thrown in jail, face all kinds of challenges of life with courage and strength and an intimate crowd of others wildly cheering us on. We could take off the masks. Stop pretending that we have it all figured out and under control. We could weep freely at the pain of life with someone holding our hand who felt with us. We would have others around us who could point at trouble spots and warn us of the danger, yet would run to us with open arms to pull us out of the mess when we ignored it and would hug us even if we are covered with dirt and mud.
Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
It is somewhat amazing to me that looking forward to the night of Jesus’ crucifixion, He didn’t instruct His disciples to rely on God only. He told them to rely on each other. Facing this huge blow, He commanded them to love. And He said this was the reputation by which He wanted all the world to know His disciples – the depth of their love for one another.
The Invitation:
So I want to invite you on a journey of learning to love one another deeply – of experiencing Biblical Community. As we walk into the fall, this is our main emphasis – becoming Biblical Community.
Let me be clear about where this fits into our church vision – it is not a new vision! Our church vision is threefold – it is a vision of the church as a hospital (a vision of evangelism), a greenhouse (a vision of discipleship), and of a festival (a vision of worship). The other day I heard a comment that went something like this: “I think I understand the vision – hospital, greenhouse, festival – when are we going to start doing it?” Valid comment, which I appreciated.
This journey of experiencing Biblical community is about being a greenhouse. Actually, it hit me on Friday that this is about a bunch of smaller greenhouses! The image of the greenhouse is of a safe place, where care and nurture foster growth towards fruitfulness. Where we can love one another deeply, safely, and transparently. Where lives can be shared and encouraged and supported.
Experiencing Biblical community, or loving one another as Jesus loved us, is the heart of the vision of discipleship depicted by a greenhouse. So when are we going to start doing it?
What does it mean?
I trust you are with me thus far, and I anticipate the next question being, “ok, but how do we actually do all that?” There is a brochure in your bulletin that outlines this a little more, and we will be talking about this throughout the fall, but let me lay it out briefly and simply. In order to really love one another deeply, we need to be part of smaller groups. So this fall, we are praying that all of us will be involved in what we are calling “Family Groups.” These will be:
o Multi-generational, bringing people together regardless of age.
o Geographically close, so that distance is not an impediment to actively sharing lives.
o Sharing a simple meal, because there is a deep element of community in this.
o Meeting weekly, because during the formative stages of community it is really really hard to get to levels of trust and familiarity if we meet less frequently.
I might have had you up until the last one – the thought of a weekly commitment. Most of us want to run away at that thought! Our lives are too busy, too hectic, it could just never work – at least that is our first reaction. Believe me, it is Joanne and my first reaction also! I recognize that, I feel it too, and so we are working with that reality. We are asking for a weekly meeting for 12 weeks, bringing us basically to the end of November, and then each group will re-assess and make a decision about where to go next.
Because all we are really trying to do is invite one another into a place where we think God is leading us to see our deep need to love and be loved met. We won’t pressure or push – that wouldn’t be loving as Jesus loved! But I want to invite.
Because I see the problem. It is my problem too. And I feel very strongly that God is leading us in this direction.
There are lots of other details to all of this, which you will be hearing about in the weeks to come. And Pastor Sue, any of the elders, and myself would love to answer any questions you might have. Let me add we aren’t trying to break up any groups that already exist, and we certainly don’t intend to “legislate” who these groups will consist of. In fact, wherever those places of Biblical community exist we simply want to encourage and support them!
We really just want to be obedient. To encourage one another to love deeply, as Jesus loved. To foster community so that our deep needs can be met as we meet the deep needs of others. And to know the Spirit of God moving around and through us accomplishing His will in our lives and relationships.
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