During my time at university I found a friend. We worked together on our thesis and stayed in touch ever since (some 12 years now.) He is one of the most interesting people I know. For one, he is really clever. He’s got a PhD and everything. Then he is a nice guy. It is fun being around him. But best of all, he is highly self reflecting and open. For example, there is no alcohol permitted in his presence. He doesn’t want to be tempted, for it might lower the guards of his inner demons. Doctor Jekyll is afraid of his Mister Hyde. But he is aware of it and acts accordingly. And if you ask him, he will tell you his struggles. Because he knows his inner daemons. By name.
While we were working in the lab every day, a girl from church had problems in math. So she asked for my help. I agreed under the condition, that she comes to university. While the experiments were running, I had time. But I couldn’t leave the lab. So she came for a few weeks, until she understood enough math to finish school. (She still says, that I am the one reason, why she passed her exam.) My friend was there and saw me helping her. And he was astonished by how we interacted. He had never seen two non-related people acting like siblings before. (His words, not mine.) For the first time he saw, how Christians treat each other. Yet she and I were not even trying to be especially nice. But every time she came, he found excuses to be in the room.
Quite a while back he and I talked about God (what we often do), when he called himself an atheist. After I pointed out, that he cannot prove the non-existence of God, he thought for a moment and started calling himself an agnostic. Not to long ago I called him a practical atheist (my word for an agnostic, who lives as if there were no god), when he strongly corrected me. He knows, he is not an atheist, so better don’t call him one. That is one of the things, that fascinates me the most about him. Show him, that he is wrong, and he will immediately change his position. But when he knows he is right, he will defend his position with strong and clever arguments.
Another reason for me to love talking to him, is the fact, that he is an outsider to the Church. He knows, what is going on with Christianity, he is just not part of it. So when I need a different perspective on the Body of Christ, I can ask him any time.
The other day, he mentioned something, I had never noticed before. He called the Church the only club without conditions. If you want to join a sports club, you should be interested in sports. If you want to join a fan club, you should be a fan of the object of that club’s adoration. If you want to join a political party, you should share their views. None of these matter for the Church. You love God? Come. You don’t know God? Come. You hate God? Come. If you hate the Church, you probably won’t come. But you still can. (As a preacher once said: Jesus invites all who have burdens, and that is all of us.) So my agnostic friend understands the inclusion we are called to. Way better than most churches. Unfortunately.
But then he said something, that was so true, it broke my heart. “The calling of the Church is community, for they no longer poses the Word of God.” Of corse, he is not completely right. Community is by far not the only calling of the Church. But our love for each other will show the world, that Jesus was send from the Father. My friend basically said: Without the Word of God, there is not much more left, than being the only club, where everyone is welcome. And he is right, you know? It fascinates me, that a confessing agnostic understands the importance of the Word of God, recognizing simultaneously that the Church is all to often lacking it. And he values the community of believers. But if we loose the Word of God, shouldn’t we try to get it back? Since Jesus is the Word made flesh, He is, what we lack. And no matter how great we are in being friends, if a church can go on without missing the Presence of Jesus, we have a serious problem.
The fact, that my friend was able to see the community of believers while I was explaining math, taught me a valuable lesson. The community will come automatically. We cannot come close to the Throne of God without getting close to each other. So this is what we should focus on. Let’s concentrate on God and not in team building exercises. Because when we bring the Word of God back into our focus, community will come as a mere byproduct. And then people on the outside will no longer only be attracted by the way we love each other. They will find God. And there is nothing they or we need more.
