Fr. Richard's Mid-Week Missive

I recently picked up a new book – Community Rules: An Episcopal Manual by Ian Markham and Kathryn Glover, both administrators at Virginia Theological Seminary. There are 52 “Community Rules,” which fit nicely into a one-rule-a-week rhythm over the course of a year. Rule # 1 is: Christ is the Foundation of Christian Community, and Markham and Glover’s reflection on this rule is as follows:

 When Paul writes to the divided church at Corinth, he explains that in the end there is just one foundation to all Christian community. He writes, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). Christ is both the inspiration (after all, we are followers of Christ) and the presence (for the resurrected Christ holds Christian community together). When we gather as a Christian community, it is Christ who is in our midst. As Jesus puts it, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20).

How does this rule and reflection apply to our lives together here at Christ the King? 

Many voices in the “Christian” media today focus on threats from the outside – whether it is other religions, secularism, the political correctness movement, or other forces related to the “powers and principalities” of the world.

 But I think the greatest threat to the Body of Christ comes from withinour own Christian communities. We are oftentimes our own worst enemy. Our well-intentioned passions and interests can devolve into agendas propelled by the very secular and worldly ethics of scarcity and competition. 

Within this worldview, there simply isn’t enough; so we feel compelled to compete for what we perceive to be limited resources whether it be love, grace, mercy, approval, space, money, or time. We grow anxious and reactive when we feel like we might be left out. James and John did this when they asked Jesus to grant them seats next to him in his kingdom. And it still happens today.

 But it doesn’t have to be this way. God showed us another Way through the life, death, and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ. God’s abundance never runs out, and as such, Christ’s kingdom was not (and is not) of this world. Jesus showed us what this abundant love looks like, and through our baptisms, we have been called and blessed to carry on his counter-cultural mission in the world. 

 But this calling to be Christ’s Body in the world can feel overwhelming, even grandiose. That is why Christ called us to be in smaller communities (like the local parish church). That way we can come to know, love, support, and trust one another as we journey together as followers of Christ living into God’s abundance. If we can model the counter-cultural God’s abundance within our own homes and our own parish family, Christ’s kingdom will be that much closer to being realized. 

 We start small, just like a mustard seed. But it all starts with Christ. He is the foundation upon which we are to build our community and our lives. If we keep our focus on Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, then the house that we build will house us all as members of Christ’s family, and it will stand strong for generations to come.