Community has many faces

After church, early in my first pastorate, Peter stopped me at the door. He said, “Tom, you have a problem in your preaching.” My countenance fell, but I kept listening. “You say ‘you’ too much, instead of ‘us.’” He was right, and his assessment was profound. The lesson permeated my whole career. Peter was a gruff old man who repaired watches at his jewelry store, including my dad’s eighty-year-old German watch. I remember both men when I wear this watch while preaching.

Andy and Dan 

I was reminded of Peter’s words while preparing for a celebration of life for his son, my friend, Andy. Andy led social service programs in three different Michigan counties. He identified with those in need in his community and sought to develop programs for them to integrate productively back into their community. Having overheard the exchange, while laughingly apologizing for his opinionated father, Andy and his wife welcomed us into this church community. We often ate together, played pinocle, led a young adult group, told stories and laughed.

My brother-in-law, Dan, was also a social worker, and before that he volunteered at a drop-in center for those without homes. One night when he was not there, a person living on the street asked where he was. Another volunteer said, “Oh, Dan’s not working tonight.” The response was, “What, he works here? I thought he was one of us!” Now retired, he could still be so mistaken today (family joke). 

Jesus’ shocking baptism

I understand John when he objects to Jesus’ coming to him for baptism. In baptism Jesus identified with us, joining us in our need. Here Jesus first showed himself to be Immanuel, God with us. At this the Father rejoices in his Son. Through identifying with us, Jesus showed his divine identity. In our baptism we join into this identity as loved children of God.

Luke tells a story at the house of Simon, the Pharisee (Lk. 7:36-50) where a sinful woman wept and poured perfume on Jesus’ feet. How often do we grumble like Simon, wondering whether the sins we perceive in others should be disqualifying? “Outrageous! How can this person participate in community with us?” “Outrageous” is that which goes beyond the boundaries. Jesus’ love, mercy and forgiveness is the real outrage in this story. Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy on us.

Walls come down

Luke tells of Zacchaeus, the “wee little” Jewish man exiled from his community, because he was seen as a cheat and a collaborator. Jesus welcomes him into community and eats with him. “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9). 

Paul celebrates that Christ has brought us into a new relationship with God and each other. Christ has knocked down “the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14), but too many in the church are rebuilding it with us/thems, whether racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, tribalism, nationalism, elitism or other phobias and -isms that divide us. We must join Paul in declaring to all who claim Christ as Lord “you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (Eph. 2:19).

We live with Immanuel, God with us, all of us. We need to live, not as “you,” but as “us.”