Created for Community
Big idea: As bearers of the image of the Triune God, the greatest need of our time is genuine community.
I am convinced that the greatest need of our time is genuine community. For instance, I see it ozzing out in the world cup of soccer. I am seeing people spending money buying vuvuzuelas, u know those plastic ugly sounding horns, which sounds like bees buzzing, and blowing them as if there is no tomorrow. I see people spending tons of cash just to be in South Africa, pouring money for souvenirs, hotels and meals and not only that but braving the crime-ridden streets of dangerous South Africa, where people are afraid of stopping their cars at red-lights for fear of being car-jacked. No matter the costs and inconvenience, these folks wanted sooo bad to be part of the soccer-crazed community of the fifa 2010 world cup. They could ‘ve watch the whole tournament on a TV set safe in their homes far away from soccer hooligans and the infamous crime ridden streets but they chose with all their hard-earned money to be in South Africa and having their ears ripped apart by the vuvuzeulas, just to have the world community of soccer come alive for them.
Last week, I got a haircut. The barber and I got talking about the world cup and he enjoyed it so much that he said he’d give me the best haircut ever. Then last Sunday for lunch, the owner of a Chinese restaurant was spitting mad because the Australians were massacred by the Germans 4-0, saying that the Aussies are a disgrace to world soccer. Why such passion? Could it be for the simple fact it in soccer we the inhabitants of this world found some sense of connection, even if it is somewhat supeficial -community.
Yes, soccer would be horrible, if it is just a solo activity. Imagine trying to score a goal by yourself, while you are also the goalkeeper, and the opposing team, I tried it. Can’t be done! Even if it is done, it is always done with an imaginary crowd shouting your name, because you just scored the imaginary goal with a ball bending free kick from some incredible distance. Or play acting an injury when there is no one to kick your shins. Just would not be the same. Or imagine blowing the vuvuzuela horn by yourself, just does not have the same impact as 60,000 others doing the same.
Remember how the 2010 winter Olympics drew all of us Canadians together, singing national anthem on the streets, wearing Canada paraphernalia proudly, Vancouver downtown was party central. Proud to belong to Canada and every medal we got, we partied!! There is something good about living it up, with others. And if it means taking the skytrain to downtown Vancouver, rather than driving there, so be it. We just want to be part of the community that’s living it up.
That is why beer commercials do not really sell beer. Have you not seen how they sell “living it up with others” or what Christians call “community”. Do they not sell good looking horny people partying with other good looking horny people? Even the losers in those commercials all of a sudden become cool and can party hardy all because of the beer. It seems to say if you wanna be with the good looking horny people buy the beer, not only beer but the right brand of beer and you will party with good looking horny people. I have not seen a beer commercial that says, go drink the beer by yourself so u can get drunk silly by yourself, puking all over the place by yourself, while passing out with giant gash over forehead cause you just hit your head on the bathroom sink, and then deal with a giant sized hangover the next day and having to deal with a beer gut the rest of your life, alcohol addiction, damage to drywall because you put a hand through it and drunk driving charges. That will not sell. Instead it pushes the idea of community, with cute folks who love you, love your jokes and gags, love your super duper silliness! People in the beer commercial business know you can manipulate the masses to buy beer if it meets a real human need. They know what people really need is not beer, but relationships, genuine community. So they sell you their idea of community, the price of admission is a six pack of beer. They know they have stumbled on something really good, i.e. celebrating with others, pure enjoyment of living it up with others. The greatest need in humanity is not beer, but living up life, celebrating life with others.
I am so glad that the Bible tells us that is what we made for, we were made for that kind of celebration of community, celebrating life, joy and peace with others. Life according to God’s original design is all about being fruitful, enjoying work, with animals by your side lion king style, with no worries for the rest of your days instead of seeing us as dinner. Life was meant to flourish, to fill the earth with God’s goodness and blessing celebrated with gusto. No wonder - Bible’s verdict on what God created was not just good but “very good.” With man and woman, created in God’s Trinitarian image, ruling the earth, not raping the earth. Super awesome!!! Read with me in Genesis 1:26
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." ...
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
See??? This is a declaration of whoop... it was VERY GOOD! God partied when he made us humans in His image!
The whole idea of God making us in His image, tells us that there is something of God in humanity. Humans are not god, but they have something of God’s essence in them. That’s what the ancients think. They have seen idols in pagan temples. They know people think in those images there is something of divine essence in those blocks of wood or stone. So when the writer of Genesis says we are made in the image, he is saying there is the essence of God in all humans but they are not gods.
His essence is one that has relationship written all over it like graffiti in downtown eastside. We know because God’s very essence is Trinitarian, Father son and spirit. Read John 3:35 “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” Within the God head is personality of 3, where loves resides at their very core, community, and this community is all about life. We catch a glimpse of that in Mark1:9-11 in the baptism of Jesus, heavens ripped open with God father booming "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
This same Godhead blessed humankind with all the pride of a proud papa, made them in their image with their personality and capacity to love like them, to enjoy community just as the three in one enjoy each other. Created to have genuine community.
Guess what God did the next day after he was done making man in His image – the seventh day? He rested, with his favourite creation, people in His image! Imagery comes to my mind, is the Sunday BBQ kick back relax and chill!! And I got confirmation that He wanted loving personal community because when I read Genesis 2 when there was just one person around, God’s word tells me it was NOT GOOD .
Read with me Genesis 2
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
18 The LORD God said, "It is NOT GOOD for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam [h] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs [i] and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib [j] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman, [k] '
for she was taken out of man."
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
God knew that the man wanted more than just be the lone ranger, he was made in the image of God. The essence of God was community of the 3 in one. That is why the only time when there is something negative mentioned in the whole creation story, it was when man was all by himself. Only when there was a person to person interaction, that was when God said it was very good and creation was complete. Notice that in Genesis having the whole zoo of animals at your disposal, the most well-stocked pet store ever with him, wasn’t enough. You think the man would be having fun figuring out names for all the animals but life was not a blast. Life became a blast, only when there was close human intimacy, man and woman, human community that reflects the Trinitarian reality!
You are created for something deeply spiritually personal, reflecting the holy trinity and so I submit to you community is without a doubt, God’s design and purpose. Community can kinda sound stale and academic, let’s put it this way... you were created to party with others, live it up, celebrate life, and forgive me but it seems the beer selling people know more about this truth than Christians. We see Christians dutifully go to church but rarely do they sit together and whoop it up for God and encouraging others to party to the praise of the life giving God. Each Sunday, the Worship leader tries so hard put songs together so they can live it up but I wonder if sometimes if people attention are somewhere else on the world cup, or half asleep, checking out text messages rather than whooping it for God and encouraging others to whoop it up. Some are actually afraid to even sit together, or even look at each other suspiciously, with a don’t look at me or touch me, or you’re dead kinda look as if there some kind of disease you’re carrying.
C’mon for God’s sake party it up for the sake of the One who created life to fill the whole earth. Live it up, because God wants and has designed us all to live it up with others who love and serve Him. I trust we can come to church, and not feel life is sucked out of it. If you do feel life is sucked out of it, do something, be the mature spiritual person who knows God and lead others into the abundant life God has made for us through Christ who loved us and made us new creations through faith in Him, basking in law of the Spirit of life Christ Jesus who has sets us free from the law of sin and death. God meant life to be lived out, and that is why we Christ was sent to the cross, so we may enjoy life and liberty in Him once again rather than be chained up in our sin, scared to death, if anyone would actually love sinful dirty old me. If you feel chained today, be free, have faith in Christ today, forgiveness is yours that is why the bible says we can party now as it declares “rejoice in the Lord always!”
We need to repent of hiding, just as Adam and Eve did when they sinned. We need to come back to the light and repent of our joyless gatherings. We need to repent of life-sucking finger pointing ways. We need to repent of biting criticisms, sarcastic remarks that masked our own hurts and sins, we need to repent of evil of destroying community rather than building it. We need to resist the temptation to believe that the church’s job is done when it instructs people to do the right things. If that is so, all we need to do is just stay home and listen to Christian radio broadcasts or Youtube preachers. But there is something more, we need to be in community, life that is fun, celebrated with others. And when people fall short, do what God does, forgive rather than harbour a grudge. Remember Christ died for our sins, so let it go and build life, rather than look for the next chance to kill it. God says it is not good for man to be alone, so let’s go for the very good building life with others, magnifying the glory of the three in one Father, son and Spirit (Gen.2:18). Transformative community where our greatest need is met and it is possible, when we embrace the truth we were made with the every essence of loving 3 persons in one. There is something of God within each person, so let’s treat all royally not diss them up. So let us become world-changers Let us become the church victorious... showing the world we are Christ’s disciples as we love one another as Christ loved us. Will you take the small steps of saying hi to strangers, be the first to break the ice, take the risk of forming new relationships, get to a new small group, or better yet start one for others, reach others when u r feeling down with the faith that Christ is enuff for you, blessing others. In the weeks to come we’ll be preaching on how we can accept one another and grow together responding to God’s transforming power.
Lord, the world has yet to see
The church in victory
Turn to us Lord and touch us
Make us strong in your might
Overcome our weakness
That we could stand up and fight
Let your glory fall
