connected Community
Our cultural values, the marketing we consume, and the systems we operate reveal a world in which power, competition, and individual interest reign supreme. This is the opposite of the order that James believes is healthy based upon what has been revealed by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. James thinks the church should aspire to be a connected community that values humility, care, and unity. James wraps his letter by offering three strategies to cultivate this type of community: wait together; pray one for all and all for one; look out for each other.
Waiting together
Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. (James 5:7-8)
The future of creation has been set to restoration, but that reality is still to be fully realized in the present. Waiting is necessary. I appreciate James’ pragmatism in helping us develop our expectations appropriately. We all tend to believe that life will be easy. Instead, James reminds us that creation is still broken and, therefore, we need to strengthen our hearts. How do we do this? Reflection and rejoicing are helpful tools. When we reflect on our values, identity, and hope, it strengthens our ability to be patient and persevere.
Pray one for all and all for one
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them… confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. (James 5:13-16)
When we pray for one another, it unites in joy, need, hope, and healing; it also connects us to transcendence or, as Paul describes it as, four-dimensional love in Ephesians 3:18-19. James’ wants everyone to share with one another. For this to happen, we must commit to knowing and being known. This requires us to share vulnerably in our pain and joy. It also requires us to listen and engage with others. When we choose to know and be known, we can create the kind of connected community we desire.
Look out for each other
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a person from wandering will save the person’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19)
If we want to build a connected community, we must look out for one another, not ourselves. This is difficult in our age of authenticity. We all give others lots of leeway to be them as long as it doesn’t hurt others. This is not the same as looking after each other. James challenges us to be more connected. To accomplish this, we have to do two things. First, we have to consider others. Second, and more importantly, we must give others permission to look after us. In our culture and climate, others won’t speak truthfully to us unless we go out of our way to ask for and encourage their candid feedback. Most of us are self-aware enough to recognize that we need others to look out for us. We must be brave enough to give permission to others to look after us. What if we asked people close to us this question, “Do you see anything in my life that concerns you or you worry about?” If we want others to look after us, it will take us asking questions like that repeatedly.
Every day we receive multiple messages that our joy will be found in building our individual kingdoms. While elements of this reality may bring fleeting reward, it is ultimately a counterfeit life compared to a connected community. This will require risk on our part, but outstanding reward too.
