Christians in Community

Psalm 112 : 1-10
1 Cor 2: 1-16

If those who fear the Lord and keep the commandments are happy, and we are not happy, then do we truly fear the Lord and keep the commandments? This is a question that we must repeatedly ask ourselves because we are never good all the time. It is a lie to say that we are always good people and that we always love our spouses with our whole hearts and that we are always kind and generous in our thoughts, time, and attention to those around us.

Because, let us be frank, it is not realistic for a human being to always be good. That is what we have learned over the years, this is the wisdom that comes with age and mistakes. We are at heart good people that strive to make the world better, but we cannot always be kind and caring. We are eventually going to sin. We are eventually going to say something mean or do something unkind. We are eventually going to fall short of the glory of God.

That is where Jesus comes in. During Advent Bible study this year we went over the story of Adam and Eve, and the question I put to the class is, "If Adam and Eve had not eaten of the Forbidden Fruit and had been able to stay in the Garden of Eden, would we still have needed Jesus Christ?" We all sat there looking at each other, thinking it over. I'll ask the question to all of you. Do you think we always needed Jesus, from the beginning of our creation, or could we have saved ourselves?

In today's society, we like to think of ourselves as self-sufficient. We love our independence! We're not real big on carpooling because that means depending on someone else or having to leave when they do. When we do projects with people, we're always leery of depending on everyone to do their part so sometimes we micro-manage and nitpick, thinking to our self that if we could just do it ourselves it would have been easier!

We say that a lot, don't we? If we could just do it ourselves, our life would be so much easier. But, that's a lie.

It's a lie that is exposed by the questioned I posed to you a moment ago. We always needed Jesus. From the beginning of time, God knew that humanity was not perfect. God knew that we would be tempted to do things that were not right and God knew that eventually Jesus would be the only way to save us from ourselves. There was no way we could save ourselves without God's help.

But society tells us that it is important for us to do things on our own and that we should be self-sufficient. We're told that sharing what we have is wrong and we're told that if we have to lean on anyone then we're failing ourselves and society. However, Jesus makes a mockery of this kind of independent thinking. Jesus didn't do his ministry all on his own. He deliberately looked around and found twelve men that would be willing to help him. He took on women who helped to feed and shelter them during his three years of ministry, and who also learned a lot by his side and began to teach others. Jesus knew that being independent isn't as important as we try to proclaim it to be.

Being a Christian means more than being baptized. It is about more than taking communion once a month or year. It is more than wearing a cross or knowing a few bible verses. Being a Christian is being part of a community. It is about caring and sharing and loving one another and the only way we can live out the scriptures, the only way we can be like Jesus is to be in a community together. That means we cannot always do this alone.

There are so many people that will try to tell us that they don't need to come to church because they can find God anywhere. Well yes, they can. But you cannot be a disciple of Jesus Christ by walking through the woods alone. You cannot be a disciple by fishing or hiking or reading the bible every night alone. Being a disciple means going to others and sharing what you have learned. It means putting up with people you don't like and dont understand, and somehow communicating that although there are differences, there is also respect.

The Psalm today reminds us that we are to praise the Lord and we are to follow God's commands. Jesus commanded us to love God and to love one another and to spread that love throughout the world. That is the commandment we are called to follow. And so it brings us back to the very first question I gave to all of us, "If those who fear the Lord and keep the commandments are happy, and we are not happy, then do we truly fear the Lord and keep the commandments?" What are we doing wrong?
Are we working together? Are we sharing our problems with each other? Are we showing mutual respect for each other despite our differences? Are we being grownups about our problems in the church or are we spreading gossip and causing dissension? Are we always complaining about the church without doing anything to make it different and to make growth and change possible?

Jesus tells us over and over again that we are not in this alone. He is with us. He has given the Holy Spirit to us as a guide and a voice in our ears. We are called to work together, in community with love and respect, to make what we have here a blessing to our town, our state, our country and the world. If we are unhappy, then we are not following God's commandments. If we find ourselves angry and vengeful at each other and the church, the Psalm tells us today that, "The wicked are angry, they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing."

We can be mad at each other for the problems we have and the challenges we face, or we can work together to make this church a prosperous and loving atmosphere for all who step through the doors. It is up to us. Jesus makes it clear that if we try to do this as individuals that we will not succeed. We need each other. We're all here with different gifts and ideas. We are to use these gifts for the betterment of the church and our community, not to hide them or squander them on petty things.

Those who fear the Lord are gracious, merciful, and righteous. We are told that the righteous have hearts that are steady and unafraid. Righteous people will not be moved but will stand firm and demand justice and equality and goodness for everyone. This sounds like a Christian disciple to me. This sounds like exactly what Jesus was teaching his disciples to be and therefore, this is what we must be. We cannot be generous and gracious and merciful without others. We need community. We need to come to church. We need to invite others to church.

This week, take the time to share your love of Jesus Christ with someone else. Invite them to come to church. Tell them about the fellowship luncheon we had and tell them about the spaghetti dinner next week. Tell them about how we are planning on going to help the people at the Ronald McDonald house and invite them along! Share your faith. Share your love for God with someone who might desperately need to hear about Jesus' unconditional love.

The only way to be a Christian is through the things we do as well as what we believe. We need to live out the scriptures and we can only do that together. Then, true happiness will be ours because we will be following God's commands without fear or reservation.

Amen.