Genuine Christian Community has a Personal Price
I lent a book to Janet Pigeon on pastoral theology that I think is quite good. She is gathering many insights from the author and writing up her notes chapter by chapter. As she finishes a chapter she sends me those notes via email; this week it was on the subject of pastoral visitation.
Pastoral contact in some ways has never been easier, back in the days of the apostles; communication would take the form of letters, but those letters took a long time to get to their destination. Today we can pick up a phone and have quality time with pastors, advisers and friends. We can write an e-mail and it’s instantly sent and received. Our communication tools are really unsurpassed by any other generation. I say we have the tools, sometimes we lack the skills or perhaps even the motivation to make meaningful connections with each other within the body of Christ. Real Christian community takes developing relationships, spending time together and some effort. It’s fine to have our Anglican Chapel for meetings on Sunday and other days, but frankly, we need lot more investment in each other and time with one another than could be contained in one building or location.
It's challenging, but not impossible to have a relationship with a bishop from Bolivia. When I when down in Ohio recently I made a point of scheduling time Bishop Frank and we had that time at St. Luke's Anglican Church in Akron, Ohio. Later that evening after an ordination service I invited the bishop and Shawnee to join us for lunch the next day, sure we would get in a little later to Metro Detroit, but this kind of fellowship takes priority in my mind and worth a few adjustments. Add to that; phone calls and emails and we really do have a good friendship and relationship even though there is that distance between us.
Here and back from our house takes three hours with gasoline and that costs over three hours gallon. Still, we believe that building Christian community in the Lexington area is worth the trips, worth the phone calls and worth the e-mails. With many in the congregation having full work schedules, long commutes, family commitments and other scheduling conflicts; pastoral visitation has been challenging, creative efforts need to be made both from priest and parishioners.
Throughout much of the 3 1/2 years of earthly ministry, Jesus was focused on building the relationships he had with his disciples. They traveled with him and learned from Jesus how to serve one another, how to get along with one another and even how to resolve problems between each other. He being, God incarnate came to earth and instead of rearranging the oceans, creating new animal species, or writing a major holy book engraved in giant sized letters on the side of a mountain, came and spent a major part of his ministry time forging friendships. He is our greatest example, as we learn about pastoral ministry, visitation and Christian community.
Genuine Christian committed relationships are contagious. We all know John 3:16 talking of God's love, we also need to remember 1 John 3:16 reminding us that if Jesus laid down his life for us, we ought also to lay down our lives for one another. I invite you into Christian friendship and relationship with each other and also with myself and Theresa Send the e-mail, pick up the phone, grab that lunch together after church, let's make the investment in one another in following Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and dearest friend.
blessings, Fr. Richard Dalton +