VT Lessons

I'm about a week behind on posting this. Track season will be over (for me) after today, so things will start slowing down soon!

Last week, our country observed a terrible tragedy at Virginia Tech. In the past, I've tended to avoid the hype. Last Monday, John Stewart (The Daily Show) explained well how I used to deal with crisis: "Well, if you have a TV, most of you know what has happened today. So, I'm going to do what I always do when this kind of thing happens. I'm going to suppress it, push my feelings deep down inside, and 30 years from now, someone is going to knock over my drink, and I'm going to scream, 'What the ---- did you do that for?!'" It's easy to suppress feelings when we want to believe that our world isn't this messed up. I'm not that person any more. I've wrestled with the questions about evil and realized God didn't do this. God's not micro-managing us. People have free will to make evil and twisted decisions. However, our Easter God brings redemption from the worst. So this week, I've been looking for signs of redemption.

I've found it in community: This image from last Tuesday's candle light memorial symbolizes the unity God desires from his church at all times.
With one accord, the VT community came together to support one another. They all shared something in common: grief. Northeastern NC has many ties to Virginia, so many people here desired to join the mourning community from VT. Many wore VT colors for the nation-wide Maroon & Orange Day last Friday (organized by a woman who attends my church). VT flags and decals cover beach houses and cars. Our community desires to reach out to a hurting community not too far from our own. We in the Church have something in common that unites us: our saving relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship with him connects us in community with others who have that same relationship. I long for the day when our churches, carrying the light of Christ, begin looking more like the picture above than a bunch of fragmented believers.

Then, I found this other picture. The light of Christ that we shine together should become a light that we share. "You are the light of the world . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:13a, 16). Christian community begins when a person starts a faith relationship with our three-in-one, community God.

We all want to belong; we all long for true community. We all NEED community. Will the Church be that place of unified support for the mourning, the hurting, the hungry? Will the light of Christ within us be something we keep for ourselves, or will we share, inviting others to experience a relationship with our God, Perfect Community?