Church as a Community that Cultivates the Virtues of Clarity, Compassion and Courage
Last week in my pastoral column I shared how clarity, compassion and
courage are three virtues to live out our identity as image-bearers in this
world.
Now I come to realize more and more that the three virtues are not
something that can be cultivated on our own. As much as clarity, compassion
and courage are important virtues to be pursued individually, they are to
be cultivated together communally with others who share the values of those
virtues.
The church community is an indispensable context in which clarity,
compassion, and courage are exercised and cultivated together. We are an
alternative society in which godly values are lived out together. We are a
community who are empowered by the Spirit of God and the Word of God. We
are fellow saints who encourage one another to live a life of faithfulness
and holiness together.
We are a body of Christ, a community of saints who exist to glorify God
together with our bodies.
“You are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Cor 12:27).
Isn’t it interesting how the Bible never refers to the church as a “soul of
Christ” or “Spirit of Christ”? It is called a “body of Christ.” Yes, that’s
right: a “*body* of Christ.” Why is it called a body—not soul or spirit—of
Christ?
As we saw for the past couple of Sundays, the essence of our being is
our body. Our body matters. We are more than our bodies, but we are not
less than our bodies. Our Christian life cannot be lived out without our
bodies. We read our Bible with our eyes. We hear God’s word being taught
and preached with our ears. We pray to God with our mouths. And when we
praise God, we stand up with our backs straight and even lift up our hands.
When we repent, we kneel down as an expression of our heart posture of
humility and brokenness. Our body matters in our vertical relationship with
God.
Our body matters in our horizontal relationships as well. We encourage one
another by speaking a word of courage and affirmation with our mouths. We
give a hug or shake hands to express our affection or to welcome one
another. Our bodily presence especially matters when our friend goes
through a hard time. Just being there physically makes a big difference.
It’s because we are not just people with minds or spirits. We are people of
the body. We are animated bodies or embodied souls. So our gathering
together physically matters.
Being a member of a body of Christ implies gathering together with our
bodily presence. That’s why “virtual gathering” is fundamentally limited.
In fact, the disembodied connection is an oxymoron. At its best online
technology holds us together tenuously. At its worst, online technology
gives us a false sense of belonging. As one pastor wisely suggests, “this
digital reality is a temporary *compromise* rather than an ongoing
*convenience.” *Worshipping, connecting, grieving, rejoicing, and feasting is
to be done together—embodied and fully present.
So if you have been joining only online for the past little while, please
know that your bodily presence in our Sunday gathering actually matters! So
if you are able to go out and about, please come out and join us for
in-person service!
“You are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Cor 12:27).
If you are a member of New Hope Fellowship, come and join us for in-person
service this Sunday. If you are not a member, you can take the first step
by coming to Connection Point this Sunday or take the next step by taking
New Hope 101 this coming Saturday.
I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday!