31 October 2005

On the eve of All Saints the month of October will come to an end with a word on community by Paul Althaus in "The Theology of Martin Luther."

Community rests upon the fact that Christ's sacrifice of love makes the believers one body or "one loaf" with Christ and therefore also with each other. Existence for one's self ceases; it is replaced, however, not by mystical absorption into each other but rather by full sharing of life through love.
No individual has strength or weakness, righteousness or sin, peace or trouble, without all being involved. (p.304-305)

If we are going to talk about begin stewards in the Reign of God, we must talk about community. We do no live outside of that context. There is no way to call myself a steward within God's Reign without brining in my participation in a common body of saints. It is there that my gift can be used and enhanced. It is there that I am able to receive from you the benefits of the community. I find that this view of the community of love is nothing more than the promise of our God for the people of God. When we take part in the Lord's Supper, the simple movement of the people each coming forward from their places in the sanctuary and taking part in one meal without distinction begins our journey of promise that will become real among us. In no way am I an island that is simply fed to go on my way. The whole action of the community coming to the meal (or the meal bring brought to me as a part of the community) creates a pattern for faithful participation in the communion of saints. Maybe it is good that we end a month of looking at how we are stewards of God's Reign on the eve of All Saints. Through water, the meal, the Word, and the command to love, we make for more than a social group. We come alive as the body of Christ.

Connection: It would do us well to expand our notion of who we are. That may mean we look beyond ourselves and out into the cadre of saints who gather with us as we remember together the stories of God's faithfulness. In that remembering, there is no isolation and there is always the opportunity to call out to another saint when we need the gifts of others to see us through the day.

Come, O God of Many Gifts, and continue -by the power of your Holy Spirit- to remind us of the many ways you bring us together to embody your loving presence among us and to make each of your saints rich within your fellowship of love. Amen.