Psalm 133: Community

The Journey
Community
Psalm 133

Introduction: This is the time of year most of us take vacations. As parents we plan vacations for our kids. We may take them to some place fun. We may go camping or to some educational historic sight. And I think as we plan we have sort of an ideal in mind. Everyone is going to have fun and enjoy what we plan. Everyone is going to get along and we are going to be that happy family that really enjoys each other. Then the vacation happens and reality sets in. There are complaints of boredom. There are fights and arguments and disagreements over every little nit-picky thing. Vacations may be memorable but they are not always pleasant.

I. Children? Unity?
We read these psalms and we think, “That’s a nice picture.” But then we really think about it. Brothers? Siblings? Living in unity? Does the psalmist know what families are like? Since he was knowledgeable in the Scripture then I have to believe he does. Fratricide has a long history beginning with the story of Cain and Able. That wasn’t just a fight between siblings; it was a religious fight. It sometimes seems the closer people are to each other the more likely they are to fight.

I have often wondered at describing the church as a family. I know it is biblical because we are part of God’s family, Ephesians 3:15. God has made us his children, John 1:12-13. But too often we fight like family also and family fights can be terrible.

But in spite of the difficulty of living with others we are commanded to do so. The Bible knows nothing of the solitary Christian, those who love Jesus but hate the church, who worships God on their boats or golf carts. The journey we are on is communal, not solitary, and we will not make it alone. So much of scripture is about living with each other. The Hebrew writer warns those Christians, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) Each of the gospels emphasizes what Jesus calls the second great command of scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) John tells us that Jesus put it in even stronger terms to his disciples, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34) The context for love is the church, the community and the family gathering is Sunday morning at 11 AM when we gather around the table. It is good when brothers dwell together in unity. When the peace of God is truly present God's Spirit is in charge.

II. Avoiding Community
The problem that we encounter, however, is that we are good at avoiding community. When we fight we fight to win, since we are right. We fight like siblings. The story of Cain and Abel happens early in Genesis because it doesn’t take sin long to infect our closest relationships.
Church fights often devolve into contests of will that have little to do with God’s will. It is easy to find something over which to make a stand, something that is worth fratricide. I don’t mean physically, though that has happened, but spiritually we kill our brothers and sisters in our hearts (Matthew 5:21-22).

We also get in modes of avoidance by only coming to those required family gatherings. People may move away from the area. They may quit talking to a family member, ignore them and pretend they don’t exist. We know all about these creative ways of dealing with family. In the end though, we are still part of the family. It even seems to work in some fashion. It keeps people from fighting which for many passes for peace but it doesn’t build relationship or bring about true peace, the true shalom of God.

There are many examples of this but one of the most disturbing to me is the relationship between Black and White churches in our area. As I have been meeting with leaders from other churches in our area in planning for the Unity event in August we have all become aware that we are like two separate church bodies. This needs to change and to do so our attitudes need to change. Most of us say we don’t have a problem with people of other races and ethnic background. So why do we have two churches so disconnected, so separate, so divided? We know our Bibles well enough to know this is not what Jesus wanted of his people. Jesus died to break down the barriers that separate people (Ephesians 2:14). It is time for us to become faithful to Jesus’ vision for us as his people. That means we can’t just sit back and say we don’t have a problem. It doesn’t matter where the problem came from, what caused it or why. The way things are now is wrong, sinful, and ungodly and we must begin to act. It does matter what we do about it. We need to find ways to work with and learn from others who are different from us. No matter what we think, we need each other just like the left hand needs the right. We need to quit avoiding each other and calling it peace. That is why this unity event in August is important for us to attend and participate in. It won’t solve the problem but it may begin to bring us together as God desires.

III. Unity Because of Christ
The psalmist uses two images to express the beauty of God’s people united. The first is oil being poured on Aaron’s head. The reference is to the time Aaron was chosen as priest and the oil was a sign of his calling to be priest to his brothers (Exodus 29:7).

One of the most radical teachings of the New Testament is that we are all priests to each other (1 Peter 2:9). When you become a Christian you become a priest but not a priest like Aaron or a priest as in some Christian denominations but a priest like Jesus. Jesus is a priest different from any priest in history. To become like him does not mean putting on special robes and acting spiritual but to minister to others in God’s name. Do I need a priest? You bet I do! I need every person in this church to be my priest. This is not an option; it is who we are. It also means that we need all our brothers and sisters, no matter what color or background, to be priests to us. That is the basis of unity. We all have the oil pouring down our heads; we are all chosen as priests and need the ministry of others.

The second image is of dew on Mt. Hermon. This is the highest mountain in the region. In a dry desert region heavy wet dew must have been seen as an almost magical gift of moisture. I believe that kind of blessing is what we experience when God’s children are united. The blessings that others bring into our lives are amazing and unexpected. People we have been alienated from add things to our lives we didn’t even know we were missing. Every culture I have ever visited has blessed me in unexpected ways. This is what God desires and why we will be blessed if we are faithful to God’s vision of unity for his people.

Livonia Church of Christ: June 25, 2006