Playing together

So how do we do this?

This morning I was woken by my son who was eagerly looking forward to taking a little row-boat out in the bay that is just metres from our house.

I have a confession to make. I am not a morning person. It takes me a while to orientate to what is going on.

I have a routine in the mornings: Shower, Berocca, Breakfast, Coffee, Quiet Time.  After this routine, my inner world feels able to engage with the world.

So as my bleary eyes opened to the sight of my enthusiastic son, I have to confess I was a bit lost as to how to respond. The thought of trying to face the world without my routine is a little bit daunting.

Reflecting on this, along with this morning’s passage from Colossians 3 has raised the question for me about how I approach faith.

The normal protestant approach to faith is very personal. I invite Jesus into my heart, read my bible and pray to my God. I work out with my God what I think and then depending on whether I am liberal or fundamentalist, I try to convince you of my thoughts or I respect your freedom to have your thoughts. All the way along it’s about me.

As I read my bible though, I discover its about us much more than me.

The Lord’s prayer starts with “Our Father” and after confronting our personal approach to faith in Colossians 3, Paul emphasises the communal side of faith:

^15-17Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

The only way to stay in tune with someone else is to listen to them. The only way to stay in step with someone else is to watch them.

I feel challenged by the words “None of this going off and doing your own thing.” So much of my approach to faith can be about getting my own thing right.. but Paul seems to be saying that is the wrong way of seeing things.

I love the phrase “Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house.” It seems that letting the Word of God impact me will also mean that I will be more ready to relate to others.

There also seems to be a relationship between being open to the Word, and being able to remind each other about what common sense is…

In short, there is a temptation for me to disappear into my own world, but God is actually calling me out of my world into the world of others.

God is calling me out of isolation into community.

God is calling me out of the world of ideas and into common sense.