An Inkling
One of the blessings of being
a pastor is that I get a couple of weeks each year for study leave. It’s the church’s way of trying to keep the
pastor’s blade sharpened. In the last
two weeks I split a week of that leave in two very different places, but in both
I found community.
Two weeks ago I spent three
days at St. Anselm’s Abbey in Washington.
It’s a Benedictine house, and as part of their mission they receive
guests. So I stayed in one of their
guest rooms, and joined them for their mid-day prayers and meals. (The picture is of some monks beginning to
gather for mid-day prayer.)
One of my goals was to study
John, through which I’m preaching this year.
The quiet of the Abbey made for some wonderful study time.
But I also got to learn about
community simply through observation. I
wasn’t there long enough to become a part of their community in any meaningful
way. But I could see many facets of
their community life as they gathered for prayer four times a day, gathered for
meals, etc. Father Christopher, the
guest-master who greeted me, has been at St. Anselm’s for 52 years – almost his
entire adult life. The other brothers
have similar stories. Theirs is a
community of stability and structure, with Jesus at the center.
The next week I was in Louisville
for three days for the annual gathering of my “covenant group.” This is a group of about 25 Presbyterian
pastors, who have adopted a discipline of mutual support, accountability, and
encouragement. Within the 25 I have been
part of a smaller circle of five, with whom we checked in at length.
There was all the usual
foolishness that comes with 25 guys getting together anywhere. For example, since we were in Kentucky, we
took an afternoon to tour a bourbon distillery. Such foolishness has its own value for
community life.
But in addition to the foolishness,
there was also a deep sharing. Just to
hear the stories of what God has been doing in these brothers’ lives was deeply
moving – especially since we’ve prayed each other through some of the
challenging passages of the last year in our monthly calls. The stories were both painful and joyful, and
they were all deeply instructive in God’s goodness. In contrast to St. Anselm’s, this is a
community that is free flowing and scattered, but again, with Jesus at the
center.
Where is your community? It can have many shapes. But if Jesus is central, it will be life
giving. Where might you find one? Or start one?!
Blessings,
Keith
