The Church of My Choosing

Dissatisfaction, for me, breeds imagining. I imagine the source and the solution. This is often a frustrating endeavor, as I have no means to turn my imaginings into reality. However, sometimes my imaginings become real, independent of my actions, and that is very satisfying. The appearance of my once imagined object or situation gives me the impression that I was right all along!

Lately, I have been imagining how church should be. I was trying to write a fictional story in which a crisis led to the formation of a new community which, in turn, generated a new church - quite different from the old.  It seems that I am too impatient and selfish to work through the details of the story, for I have abandoned it.

Instead, I wish to simply describe that idealistic church here.

First, in my imaginings, the church would arise from a real and acute need within a community, a need to interact more intimately and share more openly. This would then lead people to respond with help. It seems that the situation would lead to resentment only if the need were not universally felt and the help was not universally (within the community) shared.

Of course, this is my philosophy and sounds right to my ears, because it reflects my own personal reactions. I have observed that I am quite willing to help another if I know that they have helped me in the past. I also am much more willing to ask for help from someone that I have previously helped. This acknowledgement of mutual dependence relieves me of guilt and obligation.  I don't feel guilty, because they have helped me in the past or I anticipate their help in the future. I don't feel the weight of obligation to help them, because I have already done so or can easily see future opportunities to help them in the near future.

So, we have a group of people, a small enough group that they know one another's names, places of residence and situation. They come together to offer mutual aid. When they experience help and gratitude, they want to celebrate. They are spending time together and must eat, so they decide to eat together as a way of celebrating and enjoying their new-found success.  They break bread and sip wine and give thanks.  Their hearts swell with joy to the point of wishing to sing, and so they do.

During this gathering, they do not over-eat to terrible excess, although a few may pat their bellies and feel quite full. They do not drink with abandon, because they are responsible and know the consequences.  Their singing is not meant to impress or out-do, but to experience and express their joy.  They are enjoying themselves.

When they have had their fill, they clean up, express their hope that all will be well and their desire to gather again.  They say their goodbyes. 

During the ensuing days, if one of them has a difficulty or success, they communicate it to others in the group.  They give aid and receive congratulations and aid, where appropriate.  They make plans to gather again, decide it is a good thing and plan to meet on a regular basis for fellowship, to keep their relationships strong and to enjoy spending time together.  They support one another. They care for one another.  If someone is doing something that they think is wrong or ill-advised, they speak to that person, because they are concerned for their well-being.  They are friends.

If asked, by someone outside the community, how they decide what is right and what is wrong, they refer to a collection of books that were written a very long time ago.  They say that many things in the books are old fashioned and reflect the views of an ancient society, but like all good stories and poems, they contain timeless nuggets of truth.  These timeless nuggets help the community to sort out how to live.

This is my vision of church.