Community on the Pilgrimage Road. Mark 3:7-19. Melanie, 14 October 2007

We pray that God would unlock our hearts from within as we respond to his words without
Amen

Earlier this year I went to see a production of The Tempest. It was part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s cycle of all Shakespeare plays. I was especially taken by a character in the play called Miranda. She was the magician, Prospero’s daughter, and had lived all her life with her father on a remote island after the family had been put to sea to die by her uncle Antonio.
In the play Miranda was portrayed as a young girl – her movements were awkward and stiff (a bit like a puppet on a string, or a wooden doll) ; she chopped wood ; obeyed instructions given by Prospero in the same way as a dog would do – sit, stand, get up ; and in an almost childlike way had no idea what to do when faced with other men.
In many ways she was portrayed as a human, but without any idea of relating to others.
The actress who played Miranda gave a short after the show talk, in which she said that the character was based on some interviews that she had had with a child psychologist.
Through talking to the psychologist she was made aware that children brought up in this context, without ever having seen another human ; totally separate from civilisation ; living on an island ; would not know how to react to people, how to be in relationship with them, or have the social skills necessary to survive in a civilised world.
- The portrayal of Miranda had taken our modern trend towards individualism to its extremes.
So often today people see themselves as objects of interest not because they have accomplished something or witnessed great things, but simply because as individuals they are of consequence.
- They write confessions that aim not to testify to faith, but rather reveal an inner self ;
- if they are artists they paint self portraits ;
- they live in private rooms, and sit on chairs rather than on benches.

For many people in Christianity too there is an emphasis on the salvation of the individual – where the focus is on the individual being precious in God’s sight
Loved by him and accountable to him.
This is important, and right -
And yet in our journey of faith – our own pilgrimage – we cannot afford to let ourselves be turned into a Miranda.
As we walk the road, we must at some point interact with others on our journeys. Living in relationship to others is not a choice we make, but is an essential part of being human. From the beginning we were created to love our neighbour, and to live in community.
When Jesus called the disciples he must have had this in mind. Not only did the disciples need to learn from him ;
but he also needed the disciples in order to
- support him in his ministry. When his disciples were not around (for instance in the Garden of Gethsemane), we see Jesus being deeply disappointed to find them asleep.
- There is a sense in which the disciples were needed for companionship – think of all those snatched conversations that we have in the gospels between Jesus and his disciples, parables that needed to be explained, answers to questions on prayer etc.
- The disciples were a source of encouragement for Jesus. Imagine how excited Jesus must have been when Peter declared ‘You are the Christ’. Here was someone to whom God had clearly revealed an overwhelming truth.
- The disciples were around for warning and danger (think of the many times when the disciples warned Jesus not to go to Jerusalem for fear that he would be killed)
- They gave help for the weary – remember when the disciples urged Jesus to come away from the crowds – to take some time out
Perhaps too, the disciples saw in Jesus not just a teacher, but someone who could mirror their humanity.
As Karl Barth said ‘Man is the creature made visible in the mirror of Jesus Christ’.
As a side note to this – I think we need to give some thought to the idea of a shared story that is essential in any discussion on community living.
None of us exist in isolation. I think a growing question for society in general is ‘where do I fit’ – in other words, what story do I belong to. I suspect that this is as a result of our fragmented lifestyle today, in which there is
a masculine version,
a British version,
a human version,
a Christian version,
a university professor version,
a feminine version,
a Black version,
a Third World version,
a Jewish version,
a blue collar version ...
This leads us on to deeper questions about shared narratives, and identity, that I think would be worth discussing another time – but are probably beyond the scope of this talk.
Perhaps it’s enough to say that there is a constant theme emerging, both in scripture, and in the world around us, of a shared community travelling a journey of faith.
How then do we put this into practice today?
A quick cup of coffee after the service on Sunday is barely enough to build up community and relationships. There needs to be other opportunities in a busy secular world where we can interact with others on the pilgrim road.
One of the ways that we have started investigating is the Group or Cell meeting regularly – and I know that some have expressed an interest in some small group work within the church.
Another way is to start thinking about a soul friend or a spiritual accompanier – someone who will travel with you along your spiritual pilgrimage – someone who is able to listen, discern, notice patterns, help us to find the finger of God in what can be a complex journey.
More radical ideas have been tried by other churches. I can think of one church that has a text messaging service based on the monastic hours. So for instance at 10am there would be a text message with a short bible verse, and an encouragement to sit and pray for a few moments. Another one would follow at 1pm, and then another at 3pm etc.
Perhaps over the coming weeks you can find space to think about how you would be able to engage in community whilst travelling on your pilgrimage or journey of faith. It’s not a new challenge – it is one that has occupied man for hundreds and thousands of years. As long ago as St Augustine who lived between 354 and 430, we find the comment that
‘Men go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering’. (Augustine, Confessions, X.8).
And yet the challenge for us today is perhaps more immediate. If we continue to be pre-occupied with self, and individualism, we are very much in danger of being modern day Mirandas, cut off from other people, and unable to relate, or to find mirrors of ourselves in others. The urgency then for us is to find a way of living a community based life that reflects the biblical principles of our gospel passage that we heard today.
May God be with us as we endeavour to seek his way today. Amen

Melanie Groundsell 14 October 2007