23rd Sunday Homily- It's all about community

If asked “What is essential to our humanity, to my sense of self?”

Our answer would be?

If asked “What is essential to our joy, to our salvation from Jesus Christ?”

Is the answer the same?

To be human, truly alive as human, to be “ME” there is need to be in relationships.

Joy filled people are in healthy relationships, within community.

Salvation is realized in our interactions with others.

This makes sense right, since God is relationship:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and we are created in God’s own image.

Jesus’ Good News is about that.  

He came so that we may be free; free to do what is good, what is right; free to love.  

We need others to do what is good and right, we need others to love, and to love us back.

This is the foundation of community.

All that Jesus did reinforces the need of community.

Even Jesus’ healings have the subtext of restoring people back to the community, since the sick and possessed were excluded from others.

Today’s gospel, and all the readings, are about relationships; are about community.

Jesus reminds we must work to maintain relationships and community.

Jesus reminds us that we must keep in our heads, hearts and minds, that we are and need to be connected to others.

To be “me” is to love one another.

Of course, this takes work.

Look at the example Jesus gives...how much effort is placed into creating space for the one to come back into relationship.

How much effort to try to keep the “brother” in relationship.

The effort to create the space for forgiveness and reconciliation.

And even in the end there is no total exclusion.  

Think about the entire story of Jesus and how he treated tax collectors and Gentiles.    

The whole prayer part...we know the cliche, where two or three are gathered, there are three to four opinions.

The whole idea of community and church is to be unified in vision.

Yes, we may have different particular ways of doing things, but that is diversity, and we don’t need to be uniform to be unified.

Hence, we need to keep the big picture in front of us, and NOT start fighting about the weeds.

We need to put forth the effort to LISTEN to one another, hear the needs of others, and remember that we are one.

And when people truly agree on something, then we can really put our energy behind it.  Good is accomplished. This is Jesus!

Think of the our Synod.  It was a large group and a long effort, with the goal of moving our community in Northern Nevada forward.

Even the capital Campaign is to be an expression of unity.  All of us coming to together to help one another.

And of course this also is about family and friendships.

People are generally more stable, healthier, including our children, when there is unity.

Consider about our own lives, and when do we feel more content?

When we are well connected, when there is unity.

When our family is truly a family; when our friendships are thriving.

Will we stumble in this, of course.

Relationships will always be difficult.  

Egos get in the way.  Too many of us want the world to go as “I” want it.

And some people will be so wounded that often times the only healing must be a separation.

Yet, despite the amount of effort, despite the difficulties that will arise,

We Persevere.

There is that drive within us to be connected to others.

This is our nature.  It is who we are.

This is God’s will.