In our last article we examined the concept of community in the Old Testament. What we discovered was that community is an integral part of God's creation in that human beings are in community not only with one another but with God and the creation itself. In other words we are all related. The issue then is how does this relatedness lend itself to becoming a spiritual discipline? The answer is that being in community becomes a spiritual discipline by living appropriately with God, neighbor and creation. In some sense then, being in community, as we will see, is a cumulative discipline. It is developed by putting many of the other spiritual disciplines into practice.
Scripture tells us that the first step in practicing being in community begins with God's people deepening their relationship with God. This is initiated by the people proclaiming that they will love the Lord their God with all of their heart, soul, and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5/Luke 10:27) This proclamation does not negate love of others. It is a reminder that being in community is built upon the foundation of loving God first. The community then engages in the other God-orienting spiritual disciplines such as worship, prayer, fasting, Sabbath and meditation. Each of these practices deepens the community's connection with God.
The second step scripture offers us as a means of practicing being in community focuses on deepening our relationship with neighbor. In some ways this second step may be the most difficult because it demands that people love their neighbor as themselves. (Leviticus 19:18; Luke 22:39) This concept is especially prominent in the Law of Moses (God's rules for appropriate living) as found in the Book of Deuteronomy. This Book includes regulations that require care for the poor, the widow, the orphan, the blind, the stranger and the sojourner. The Law requires that people act honestly, speak the truth and even protect slaves who have escaped from their masters. Justice is not to be perverted through bribes and even the king is bound by the law.
Jesus continued this call to being in community by loving neighbor in both actions and words. Examples of Jesus loving neighbor included healing the woman with the flow of blood (Luke 8:43-48) and ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19) as well as forgiving those who crucified him (Luke 22:34). Each of these actions allowed individuals to be restored to being in community with God and others. Examples of Jesus encouraging loving neighbor through his words included the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) and his call to serve the "least of these" (Matthew 25:31-46). In some ways Jesus' entire ministry was a demonstration of loving those neighbors who had been excluded from community in order that they might be reconnected with God and others.
Loving neighbor was also a part of the life of the early church. In the Book of Acts (4:32-35) we read that the early church held everything in common in order that no one went without food or shelter. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Rome reminded his readers to be devoted to one another (12:10), honor one another above themselves (12:10), live in harmony with one another (12:16), build up one another (14:19), and accept one another (15:7). In I Corinthians (11:17 ff) Paul took the church to task for not sharing their food with one another.
Finally being in community includes caring for creation. We witness this first in Genesis (2:15) where Adam is placed in Eden in order to tend and care for it. The language used in this passage is focused on being a steward of the land. In Leviticus 25:3-5 God's people are told that they are to till the land for six years and then on the seventh year they are to give the land a Sabbath rest. In Revelation we read of God destroying those who destroyed the earth (11:18) and then creating a renewed heaven and earth on which people can live (Chapters 21-22). Though care for creation has not always been at the forefront of Protestant theology, it is an inherently Biblical concept.
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