E PLURIBUS UNUM

To define the flaws of an establishment is imperative to revolutionizing that establishment. But, when pointing out those flaws becomes the sole idea and discussion, then we can no longer retain the hope of revolutionizing anything. For the constant berating of an establishment does not cause it to evolve; if anything, it destroys it. In order for evolution to take place information must be added. New ideas and thoughts be brought to light.
And, to take on the task of revolutionizing the Church as a whole is daunting task; and one I think is far beyond our ability. But, the church we do have the ability to reform is our own; this little community we have all come to love.

Now in my thinking, there is perhaps no greater aspect of church than unity of purpose. And for us, I believe that purpose is community. For that seems to be the one thing with which we all agree and the one thing we have all said from the very beginning. But, the term community is very ambiguous without some sort of clear definition. So what is the definition of community, as it relates to us?

The Bible gives the analogy of the church being a single body -E PLURIBUS UNUM- from many one. And, the most important thing to understand about this analogy; is that though the body be one, it needs diversity to truly function the way its suppose to. And, it is no secret that heterogeneous relationships are very difficult. But, difficult is not impossible. There are many things that can create harmony in what otherwise would be, well, not so harmonious. And, the most important of those things is LOVE.

But, love itself is an abstract idea; without action. And, the action of love is too often reduced to nothing more than the empty word. So what is genuine love? And, what actions exemplify it? Using Christ as the standard of love to which we should adhere, I have come up with these…

To always speak the truth:
The significance of honesty in any relationship, is just as significant as a foundation is to a building. And without it, no relationship can stand for long. As difficult as it seems; we should be honest with one another even to the point of insult or shame.

To be humble:
This I would say is akin to honesty. For there are two types of truth: one is absolute, beyond question or reproach; the other is relative, not based on any other foundation than our own perceptions. And though that relative truth ought to be shared, it should be done so with an air of meekness. But, the concept of humility has no greater application than to ourselves. Back to the body analogy; Paul writes- And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. lack of humility causes us to fall into the trap of self importance and we begin to falsely assume that we are superior to others. And that kind of pride taken to its extreme, makes us dismember ourselves from the rest of the body. And whether that dismemberment be a willful act of abandonment, or an unwitting emotional detachment; the effects are the same.

To care:
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Of all the things Christ taught, the one he tried to pound into our heads the most, was the idea of compassion. We should be sensitive to the things that affect one another. When one of us hurts, we all hurt together. Life inflicts upon us many trials that are difficult to bear. And it is our duty to help bear one another’s burdens; whatever those burdens may be. And likewise, when fortune smiles upon one of us, it is the duty of the rest of us to be happy; not jealous or sad. But what to do when one of us suffers and another is honored, I have no idea!

To be righteous:
The law of Moses gets kind of a bad rap, reduced to base generalizations like, we aren’t allowed to eat shellfish. But the truth is, a lot of the law is about our conduct towards the community. Laws that should not be written off as passé. Laws like: hey, don’t pick every grape from your vineyard leave some for the poor and the foreigner. Or, don’t make fun of the deaf or trip those that are blind. Or, Don’t take advantage of others through deceitful means… the list can go on and on. And, righteous conduct is imperative to a healthy relationship.

And last, but defiantly not least…

To be merciful:
People are bound to make mistakes; they lie, they’re arrogant, they sometimes don’t care or they can do a thousand other things that can really piss you off. But, that does not void our obligation to forgive. Without forgiveness, no relationship could be possible, for grace is the culmination of love. And, love the culmination of harmony.