A Paradoxical Kingdom: The Personal and Communal God
A few months ago I wrote a Love Letter about the Crosses and Crowns that are associated with each other in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is a paradox, a literary tool that puts forth two seemingly contradictory ideas to reveal a deeper truth that one idea alone could not fully communicate. It is like a dollar bill, when one side is printed on and the other is blank, it is a great prop for a movie, but when both sides are printed on then it gains actual value. Paradoxes are used all throughout scripture, like crosses and crowns, lions and lambs, and the servant-leader. There is another paradox that is ingrained into our society, but not always recognized: the personal and communal God.
If you have ever been baptized in an evangelical church, you may have heard the question “do you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?” Personal Lord and Savior. In one sense, faith is an extremely intimate, personal topic for people. It requires you to make a decision for yourself whether you are going to put your faith in something or not. No one else can make the decision for you, only you. To step into the Kingdom is a personal choice only we as individuals can make, but all too often we stay at the personal level. We hold on tightly to our personal beliefs, the way we believe is the correct way to pray, talk, and interpret the world. We spend time with people of similar beliefs, watch the news that aligns with our worldview, and vote for the politicians that best suit us.
But the Kingdom doesn’t stop at personal. It is also communal. For the ancient Israelites, God was not the God of individuals or their families. He was the God of all of Israel, of the whole world. It was a communal relationship with God, where the whole nation of people were trying to follow God together, hold one another accountable, trying to live out the Kingdom of God on earth as it was in Heaven, with God as the King, and the people doing His Will. I think this is something worth being thankful for. In a world of social media, remote jobs, and online learning that can feel isolated and lonely, Jesus’s message was about not a personal Kingdom, but a communal one.
Love City’s mission statement starts with “to Love our neighbors and community”. It originates in what Jesus says is the second most important commandment “to Love our neighbors as we Love ourself”. Loving ourselves is extremely personal, but Loving our neighbors is a communal act. An act that requires community to take place, and builds community as it goes. Flowing from the personal, we move into the communal; from praying in a closet, to giving to others in need; from reading scripture alone in a coffee shop, to taking care of orphans and widows. When we add this extra mindset to the personal God that many of us hold, we help move the world towards what it was intended to be, a vision that is shared throughout the prophets of the Old Testament, through the message of Jesus, and is still carried on in the Revelation to John. A vision of people from every nation, every walk of life, living together, doing God’s will. Creating a community, and a world of Love, Justice, and Peace.
Ethan
GEAR UP for WINTER with LOVE CITY!!!
As we head in to the heart of winter, there is no better time to shop our line of apparel. Shop Now!
Some of our Various Designs
Porkland IS OPEN TODAY!!!
Porkland is still open today. Our parking lot has been shoveled and salted. Come on in and warm up with some Fish or tender pulled pork.
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