The Why of Community
By Pastor Adria Willett-Leonardo
Why do we build relationships with other Christians? Why do we gather as a community and work towards unity? It’s such hard and messy work! So often the church has gotten it wrong, doing more damage than good. So why bother?!
Trying to explain the importance of community is like trying to explain the importance of oxygen to the body. God designed humans to be like him, living in relationship with others. Forming a people after his own heart has always been central to God’s purposes in history. We join the body of Christ in our baptism and participating in community is key to our formation as disciples of Jesus. A united body of Christ is both God’s goal and method.
Let me explain these statements a little. In Genesis 2 we learn that the Lord God created the heavens and earth, animals and plants, he formed Adam. He placed him in the garden, in inter-dependent relationships with the non-human creation. But the Lord observed that among the creatures, Adam had no counterpart. “It was not good for the man to be alone,” said the Lord God, so the Lord created the woman.
Right from the beginning, we were designed for relationship. (In fact, research has shown that humans who isolate themselves from others severely threaten their physical and mental health.) We need others to be fully ourselves.
God demonstrated this himself: he is himself the Trinity, three persons in one. As the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love one another and live in community, so those who are made in God’s image find love and identity in community. And soon after the Creator formed humanity, he sought relationships with them.
God called Abraham and his descendants to be a light to the nations, so that his salvation would reach to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). At Sinai, God made a formal agreement with the people of Israel: they would be his people and he would be their God. God commanded them to live according to his laws and so display his character to the nations. The way they treated one another, the way the cared for the vulnerable, the very way they worshipped and followed God was meant to bring praise to God as the only true God, Creator of the Universe.
We know that the people of Israel could not follow God faithfully, nor truly obey the covenant laws. So the next part of God’s plan unfolded: God came to earth himself, in the person of Jesus, as a fulfillment of who Israel was meant to be. The good news came first to the Jews, God’s chosen people. But the good news was meant for all nations, just as God intended from the beginning. So God included the Gentiles in his family, creating a new humanity, a new people of God.
In Jesus, the divided world is reconciled to each other; in Christ, what is torn apart can be healed (Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 1:20). In Christ, people of all different ethnicities, races, tribes, languages, walks of life—people who wouldn’t normally come together—become one body (Galatians 3:28). We become one people working, living, and worshipping together because of and for Jesus. This is an essential part of God’s plan: to bring everything together under Christ (Ephesians 1:10).
As theologians Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon wrote, “In Jesus we meet not a presentation of basic ideas about God, world, and humanity, but an invitation to join up, to become part of a movement, a people.” In our faithfulness to live according to the ways of God, we are witnesses to the world of the new reality that is now established in and through Jesus Christ. We are now part of the colony of Christ, an island of one culture in the middle of another. As the body of Christ, we embody an alternative community and a new way of being.
One of the hardest aspects of Christian community is that we don’t choose who else is there with us. Yet this is precisely it’s transforming power! When we build relationship with others outside of our families and outside our usual tribes—people who are different than us and with whom we might disagree—we open ourselves to a wider worldview. We hear stories that we might not have heard otherwise. We encounter others who experience the world differently than we do. And this has the capacity to change us. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” as it says in Proverbs 27:17.
In addition to all of this, other Christians model the life of faith to us, remind us of God’s faithfulness, embody God’s care for us, help us discern the movement of the Spirit, and keep us accountable. In community we learn how to love God, ourselves, and others. When we participate in community, knowing and being known, we open the door to be formed more like Christ.
We need one another to be who we were meant to be.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, as much as participating in Christian community can be time-consuming, frustrating, disappointing, and even at times, painful, it is an essential part of God’s plan. And the truth is that you need the church, and the church needs you.
As we begin the fall season, consider how you can take one step further into building community with others at BCC.
What Kind of Church Are We Becoming?
By Jeff Grosskopf | Youth Pastor
I’ve gotta say, this summer has really been a contemplative one for me. Some of the summer reading I’ve done has given me a lot to reflect on.
As you might imagine, it’s also had me reflecting on the students and families who call BCC home.
As I look around our church, I see families trying to raise children in a complicated world. I see teenagers figuring out who they are and what they believe. I see parents doing their best. I see a church family with the opportunity to be part of it all.
And I keep coming back to one question: What kind of church are we becoming for them?
I don't just mean, “What do I need to do to create a better youth program?”
I mean, what kind of community are we creating where young people can actually learn what it means to follow Jesus?
Because I don't think faith is primarily passed from one generation to another through programs. It happens through relationships.
And our kids are watching us. They see how we relate to one another, how we handle disagreement, what topics we talk about regularly (and which ones we tend to avoid), and whether our faith makes a difference in how we live our lives.
They notice whether church is something we simply attend or whether it is a community where we belong.
That's why ministry to youth (and children) is really the work of the whole church.
The Message version of Psalm 78 says:
5 For he issued his laws to Jacob;
he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,6 so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.7So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.
I love that picture. One generation telling the next about what God has done.
Sometimes that happens in a classroom. Sometimes it happens on a summer trip, around a dinner table, or even when an adult takes the time to learn a teenager's name, ask them good questions, and listen more than they talk.
Sometimes it's as simple as a kid growing up knowing there are people at my church who know me, love me, and are praying for me.
That's a powerful thing to give a student.
And it works both ways:
Our teenagers need the church.
But as my friend Justin says, our church needs middle schoolers, too!
Our students bring questions, energy, and perspectives we need. They show us that following Jesus isn't supposed to become something we simply talk about. It's supposed to be something we live.
When I look at our children and youth of BCC, I don't just see the future of the church. I see the church!
I think God is doing something pretty special among us, not just through our kids and teenagers, but with them.
So what if our goal wasn’t simply to create a church that young people enjoy? Maybe our goal could be to become a church where generations actually need one another and where they belong to one another?
It feels like that's the kind of church we're becoming.
From Your BCC Library
By Nancy Henderson
Welcome back from what we hope was a wonderful summer break. One of the highlights of the summer in the library was a visit from several young men who recommended two book series of interest to their peers: The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, and The Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers.
The four-volume Wingfeather Saga, full of characters rich in heart, smarts, and courage, presents a world of wonder and a tale children of all ages will cherish, families can read aloud, and readers’ groups are sure to discuss for its layers of meaning about life’s true treasure and tangle of the beautiful and horrible, temporal and eternal, and good and bad.
The Wilderking Trilogy centers on a young shepherd boy from a family of adventurers who discovers he is prophesied to become the Wilderking, a leader who can harmonize the wildness of Corenwald with its civilizing forces. The series blends adventure, fantasy, and moral lessons, drawing inspiration from Biblical narratives, particularly the story of King David.
Young adult readers, check these books out from the library before some adults I could name get to them! Both series may be found in the Juvenile Fiction section.
If helping your neighbors resonates with you, you might want to look at another book new to our library, Helping a Neighbor in Crisis: How to Encourage When You Don’t Know What to Say. This practical reference book provides insights into understanding the feelings your "neighbor" may be experiencing and practical advice to help and encourage. All sections are written from a Christian perspective and include applicable Scripture, a prayer, and recommended reading for further study and encouragement. Over 30 crisis situations are addressed, including "Death of a Loved One," "Burglary and Theft," "Divorce," "Substance Abuse," "Domestic Violence," and "Unemployment." This book is shelved in the Christianity and Culture section.
If the women who followed Jesus could tell you what He was like, what would they say? In Jesus through the Eyes of Women, Rebecca McLaughlin explores the life-changing accounts of women who met the Lord. By entering the stories of the named and unnamed women in the Gospels, this book gives readers a unique lens to see Jesus as these women did and marvel at how He loved them in return. Find this intriguing look at Jesus in the New Testament section.
Following Christ's admonition that we live in peace and harmony, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by attorney Ken Sande presents practical biblical guidance for conflict resolution that takes you beyond resolving conflicts to true, life-changing reconciliation with family, coworkers, and fellow believers. This new-to-our-library book may be found in the Christianity and Culture section of our lovely library.
As we enter the autumn season, we hope you will explore the BCC Library and find time to cozy up with a good book, or two, or three. Next month we will review more new additions but, in the meantime, our shelves contain countless great books you’ve probably not yet read. Enjoy!
Up Next…
Prime Timers’ Potluck Lunch
Thursday, September 10, 12:30 pm, in the Dining Room
*Join this group of retired-age folks for a potluck lunch in the BCC dining room. Contact Jim Bruns for more information at (360) 393-1403 or email him here.
Writers’ Forum
Saturday, September 12, 10:00-11:30 am, in the Library
*For all writers, from beginners to pros, a time for encouragement and mentoring. Read-alouds, sharing projects and ideas, and a brief mentoring session with writing tips. For info, contact Nancy Taylor here.
Life Together classes resume for all ages
Sunday, September 20, 10:45-11:45 am
Celebration and Dedication of Sanctuary Expansion
Sunday, September 27, 9:30 am, in the Sanctuary!
BCC Youth Fall Kickoff!
Wednesday, September 30, 6:30-8:00
*BCC Youth meets every Wednesday and is for all students in 6th-12th grade. Our kickoff theme: Color Wars! Wear White and bring a friend or two! For more information, contact Jeff Grosskopf or Wesley Kriz