VISION NEW ENGLAND

Experiencing Formation In Community

In our last post we quoted the words of a lyrical Irish toast: “To live above with the Saints we love, Ah, that is the purest glory. To live below with the Saints we know, Ah, that is another story!”

One of our readers pointed out this little ditty has a certain ring of truth to it but it does not convey the deeper reality of real Christian community: “Truth be told, that is only half the story. The most incredible, loving, supportive friendships I have ever had (or could hope to have) have been found among the body of Christ.”

Thanks Matt, you are absolutely right! In spite of all its challenges, the grace we can find in community with the people of God is like nothing else on earth. I recently had an experience which vividly illustrated this.

In late May I had the privilege of spending five days with a group of peers at St. Edmunds Retreat on Ender’s Island in Mystic, CT. The setting was idyllic and the training we received was awesome, but some of the greatest blessing was experienced in the hours of “unstructured” time. Throughout the week at all hours of the day people could be seen in pairs or in clusters of three or more sitting, walking, talking and praying. Our minds had been opened by instruction and our hearts warmed by contemplation, but there was something more we all needed and longed for. We found it in one another as we walked with Christ together. It was a powerful life lesson in the potential of formation in community.

In reflecting upon this experience, there were several key elements that made this time such a blessing. One important part of what made these interactions so grace filled and powerful was a spirit of openness and self disclosure to one another. When we are serious about seeking and experiencing God we become cognizant of a deep desire to be thoroughly open and honest. At times like this we long to express ourselves not only to God but also to another trusted person as well. This is a desire which is purely born of the Spirit, who has called us all to “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”(James 5:16, NLT).

The second grace which made this experience of community so blessed was compassion. In the passage just quoted, to “confess” (exomolegeo) literally means to come out with the same word. The underlying idea is unity and agreement. When we are open, honest, and vulnerable with a godly friend – and they with us – we find ourselves understanding and being understood. “You too? I thought I was the only one!” We discover that we are not alone in our struggles and we are relieved to discover that our experience is not as unusual as we may have thought. There is great grace in this!

As we opened ourselves in honesty, the prayers we offered for one another were compassionate and effective. Compassion is a crucial element of effective ministry:

 “Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses.(Hebrews 5:1-2, NLT)

Intercession derives its life-power from compassion. The word “compassion” comes from Latin and literally means to suffer with. We are only able to offer effective ministry when we are keenly aware that we share, or could very easily share, the same weakness, the same struggle, and the same pain as those we serve. As author James C. Wilhoit says:

“The most fertile field for formation is in a community genuinely aware of the depth of their sin and the reality of their spiritual thirst.”*

To forget our own weakness is to fail as priests and intercessors before God. But when we acknowledge our condition and open ourselves in trust to one another we find a real source of help and relief. As we pray for one another we are healed because “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16, NLT).

You don’t need a week on an island to experience the grace of formation in community. It can and should be a part of the spiritual life we share in each of our local churches. In fact I would go so far as to say it must be. Our individualism only deprives us of the riches of grace which God has chosen to deposit in the larger community.

I realize that this is a big subject which raises a lot of questions, like “How can I find or form a formation community within my church?” As a starting point you might consider James Wilhoit’s book, “Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered - Growing in Christ through Community” (see below). This should get the juices flowing and give you some helpful insight into how the church as a formation community should feel and function. In the next few posts I will continue to address some of the challenges and rewards of pursuing formation in community.

Recommended Resource:

“Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered- Growing in Christ through Community”  (James C. Wilhoit, with foreword by Dallas Willard)

Paperback: 240 pages

Publisher: Baker Academic (2008)

ISBN-10: 9780801027765

(this was posted by Steve Poole, Vision New England's Director of Spiritual Formation and Mentoring)