The Loss of Community

Daniel 9:4:  "I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:  'O LORD, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong.  We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.  We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our father, and to all the people of the land.'"

Oftentimes, when pastors have preached through the visionary chapters found in the book of Daniel, their focus has been upon the end-of-times, apocalyptic themes.  They have attempted to adapt their sermons to the prophetic undertones found within the text, with the purpose of associating the events prophesied with the modern-day episodes found around us.  As much as these themes warrant a time of discussion, I do believe that an equally important revelation found in these chapters is overlooked and as such reveals a tragic reality within the walls of our churches.

When we read through Daniel, we find that this man of God has been introduced through dreams to the magnificence of the Lord and His will for His people.  We too find that Daniel becomes acutely aware of the sins that have been committed against the Sovereign One.  And as Daniel begins to confess His sins to the Lord, he does not limit his petitions for his own benefit, but He is intentional as he uses plural pronouns in his address, so that his prayers for God's mercy might encompass the entire community of faith.  There is a "we're in this together" mindset in the prophet's mind . . . a collective journey of a people who are seeking the pardon and blessing of God.  There is no sense of individuality of faith; rather, Daniel sees the importance of a unified, collaborative movement of the Israelites in captivity . . . desiring to see God's deliverance leading to their redemption.

In contrast to Daniel's notion of community, we seem to find within modern, American evangelicalism an embracing of the individualism and consumerism that so pervades our culture.  Oh to be sure, we might sing songs exclaiming our oneness in the bonds of love, but our behaviors betray such notions.  Little do we commune with each other outside the prescribed meeting times once a week.  Seldom do we pray for one another and check on one another throughout the week as our days already are filled with activity to help us fulfill our notions of the American dream.   Then we wonder why there is a staleness in our corporate worship . . . why God does not seem to be a part of it . . . and why we feel so disconnected from the very people we consider to be our eternal brothers and sisters.

The apostle Paul addressed such issues in his letter to the church at Ephesus.  Specifically, he urged the followers of Christ to life a life "worthy of the calling you have received" (Eph. 4:1).  The word for "worthy" in Greek suggests bringing up the other side of a measuring scale.  Now, we know that we will never be able to give back to God with full weight of payment for His glorious grace, which cost Him the very death of Jesus Christ.  Still, we are to live our lives constantly expressing our gratitude for His lovingkindness made manifest through the cross.  The way that Paul suggests that we do that is to be "completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love . . . making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph. 2-3).

With these commands in view, let us as a church not fall prey to the self-absorbing enticements of the world; rather, let us love one another.  Let us be humble, and receptive, and encouraging, and supportive of one another.  By doing so we express to our Lord the desire to live our lives as an expression of our deep appreciation to the Lord for the calling we have received to be His children.