Communities that Heal…
Posted in: UncategorizedAt theedge we talk about being relational a lot. Why? Well, because we believe everything good comes out of relationship.
I was talking to our staff yesterday as we were planning and praying about 2010. I shared with them some thoughts about community and relationship that had impacted me. These thoughts came from Larry Crabbs book called Connecting. (Great book, by the way).
Here are a few of those thoughts that really hit home for us here at theedge…
“We will not heal many souls when ADVICE or INSTRUCTION is at the CENTER of our efforts. Our power to influence lives does not come from telling people what to do. Nor does it come from revealing to people the details of their internal mess.”
(Those are the two most common ways church treats people, by the way).
He goes on to argue, “Communities heal when they focus on releasing what’s good.”
Wow. That is good stuff! And i totally agree!
You see, the problem with the church today is we want to just tell people they are wrong and then give 3 easy points on how to do better. We give pithy, pious advise and intruction. Not that advice and instruction is bad or unneeded, it’s just not really what Jesus calls us to. We are called to be LIKE Christ. And, yes, Christ was a great teacher, advice-giver, instructor, but all His teaching was backed up by the most important thing…Love! Relationship! Connecting!
Jesus was a master at connection. The reason His teaching and advice are so life changing is because He really cares about us. You can sense the heart of Jesus in his interactions. He deeply cares and is deeply connecting, which means he is focusing on releasing the good in each of us.
I want theedge to be that kind of place. We are not hear to preach AT you or DOWN to you. We are here to deeply connect with you, because we see the good in ALL of God’s creation. And that kind of relationship is what brings healing… to YOU AND me.
love.love.serve.
Good stuff!!…
The problem with “doing better” is that it is still measured on a human scale, which is inherently flawed. Relationships are the only thing we take with us into the next life. They are the key to everything good in this life.
Well said Mark…I agree.
I believe the greatest gift of a true relationship is acceptance. I believe this was one of the most fundamental and powerful gifts of Jesus ministry. That is we are forgiven and in a very real sense accepted, as equals in the mind of God. Too many of us feel, if people really knew us, then we would not be accepted and considered to be inferior or defective. And it is within this inferiority complex that all manner of deceptions form and flourish in our minds.
What most of us don’t realize is these imperfections are what allow us to have a relationship with God. It is the fall which allows God through Jesus to offer us a hand, to reach out with love and touch us in a meaningful way. Jesus came for the sinners to preach the good news, not for the righteous. Those who are truly righteous are not in need, have nothing which is lost, or unsure of their place. It is those who feel lost and unsure that salvation is offered.
How does Jesus touch those today who are lost and unsure of themselves or their true place? How do they know the certainty of acceptance and love? It is through the Spirit of Christ, through the love of those who have accepted Him in accepting others before themselves.
Jesus sacrificed himself, so that others may know the love of service and that this love is the greatest love. Those who serve another before themselves, know the power of this love is God active within them.
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