Becoming Spiritual Community (1)

This article was already up in Japanese. But for English speakers, this is English version.

Becoming TRUE Spiritual Community (1)

    Larry Crabb is a famous counselor and writer. Let ’s think about the topic of becoming a true spiritual community according to his book by the same name. 


Larry and his wife moved to Florida recently. One day, the two of them were walking on Miami Beach. They saw something they could not forget. Some seniors were sitting on a 50-foot bench. Florida is a place that many older people choose for retirement. The people sitting on the bench were looking straight ahead without paying attention to the people or buses passing by. No one was talking to the people next to them or touching anyone; everyone was just sitting there like a big lump. There were no coffee cups to be found and no one was reading a newspaper or a book. There was no evidence that anyone was enjoying relationships between human beings or the fact that they were created in the image of God. Larry was shocked to see this sad situation. Was it the result of a long life and the accumulation of resentment and anger? Had they been betrayed by a friend or family and now find it impossible to trust others? At any rate, the people sitting there were expressionless and only staring into the distance. 

    This reminds us of the “lonely deaths” in Japan that have become the center of attention recently where an old person dies alone in their room in their apartment and no one notices. The words, “unrelated to society” have also been coined. This is not every person, but especially in the case of a male who devotes himself to his company, when he retires he just becomes a normal person and has no friends. When his wife dies, he will just watch television and drink. He thinks that there must be a community in which he can share his heart. Isn’t this exactly what the church itself can offer? People will surely long for this kind of spiritual community! Larry says that loneliness is none other than a thirst for God. Man, who is a spiritual being, cannot be satisfied with just a “feel good” community. Therefore, a spiritual community in which Jesus is the center is all-important.

    To put it succinctly, the church is a spiritual community before Christ. The church is people. It is a place of the Spirit and brokenness. The key here is brokenness. A spiritual person is a person of love. A spiritual community is composed of such persons. Characteristics of these are: 
•    Broken, but strong •    Conscious of one’s weakness, but having hope •    Esteeming others and having deep concern for them

    It is not criticism or ethics, it is looking to Christ with one ’s fellow man. This is the heart of worship. If it is not spiritual, it simply becomes “feel good” relationships, or work relationships, healing, a comfort seeking group that licks its wounds, or a counseling group.

    A true spiritual community is composed of fellow travelers who are aware of their own weaknesses, who are honest and humble, who don’t give up, who gather together before the Lord, who are committed to Him and to each other, and travel together on life’s journey. ———————　
Looking forward to your comments! asktmc@gmail.com  (Kazu)