Conflicting Views Part 2

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Col l3:12-14
It’s always dangerous doing a sequel. At the movies, sequels usually disappoint. But I’m going to take the risk anyway. Last time, we introduced the concept of spiritual community, the basic unit for making decisions together in the church. Today I’d like to continue our discussion by looking at some specific steps we can take to make spiritual community happen.
The essential pieces of spiritual community are that it is centered on Christ, and that it welcomes persons with differing views (hospitality). To encourage spiritual community, our first step is to connect with Christ. We can do that best by prayer. As a part of restoring spiritual community within our church, I’d like to propose that every group function that we have should begin with prayer. That’s right, I’m talking about every group, including youth, kitchen work groups, circle meetings, bazaar workshop, staff meeting, Community Meal, trustees, etc. Every one. A time of prayer helps us set aside our own agenda and pick up Christ’s agenda. We can build hospitality by inviting and welcoming new people into our groups. Also, we can include time for sharing our joys and concerns at each meeting. What if, every time we got together, we took a minute to allow each person to share joys or concerns, and then followed that up with prayers for our group members, our church, and for guidance during our tasks?
After we pray, the next step is to listen to one another. Pastor Hawkins, the author of Cultivating Christian Community reminds us of two important points. First, to listen well, we have to suspend our own agendas and concentrate on what the other person is saying, not upon our own response. When we listen, we suspend judgment, memory, and our own desires. We need to try to turn off the emotional filters and our preconceptions that can get in the way of truly listening. Next, we need to understand that listening is not the same as agreeing. We can acknowledge a speaker’s point of view without agreeing with it. Finally, good listening requires us to seek understanding, and avoid blame.
After we pray and listen, the next step is dialogue. Here are two great steps for achieving successful dialogue: First ask yourself: What and I thinking and feeling? What do I want right now? These questions allow us to improve our own self-awareness. Then we consider our intentions: What do I want to happen? Am I willing to be influenced? If not, what is the purpose of the conversation? If we are honest with ourselves, we can begin to work together to seek real solutions. As Pastor Hawkins writes “Conflict rends asunder. Dialogue heals the divisions between us.
Are we ready to give it a try? I think so. Let’s strengthen our spiritual communities, beginning today.