Years ago, I watched a fairly forgettable movie entitled "Bend it like Beckham". As a young man playing soccer at the time, it held some appeal to me. The movie wasn't quite what I was expecting, but there is a subplot that occurs during the movie that has stuck with me for some time.
In the movie, a young British girl is playing soccer, and on her team, there also comes to be a young lady whose family is from India (I believe). The family of the girl from India is very adamant that she not play soccer, and she is willing to lay aside what she personally wants for what her family sees as good for her. Of course, to a Western society focused on the individual over the community, this makes little sense, and so, of course, we cheer in the end when the family relents and the young lady is free to do what she wants, which is, of course, to play futbol.
In recent years, I've come to see this dynamic in a different light. Our western focus on the individual has its strengths, no doubt, but it also comes with its great weaknesses. A focus on community (or on family) means that a person always has a place where they are welcome (which makes the parable of the Prodigal son much more understandable in that light.). However, a focus on the individual means that we often only welcome others as long as they "do" something for us. If we encounter conflict, we run away to another place where others, hopefully, won't be in conflict with us. When hard times come along, it's easier to leave when you don't have a community to be answerable to, and so we fail to grow and mature in our lives as we fail to stick it out with our community.
Sadly, this reality has greatly infiltrated God's Church. How many people look around for a church that fits their needs, rather than asking how they can work themselves into the church? How often do we look for what we want in the church, rather than asking what would be best for the family overall? How often do we treat each other as family (yes, even with the quarrels and the good times)? How often do we sacrifice what we want for what is good for the family overall?
God has created this wonderful gathering of His people called the Church, a place where God's people are renewed in the image of the sacrificing God who sacrificed for His people. Should we be surprised that our lives, as we are renewed in Christ each day through our baptism, should actually look the same?
In the movie, a young British girl is playing soccer, and on her team, there also comes to be a young lady whose family is from India (I believe). The family of the girl from India is very adamant that she not play soccer, and she is willing to lay aside what she personally wants for what her family sees as good for her. Of course, to a Western society focused on the individual over the community, this makes little sense, and so, of course, we cheer in the end when the family relents and the young lady is free to do what she wants, which is, of course, to play futbol.
In recent years, I've come to see this dynamic in a different light. Our western focus on the individual has its strengths, no doubt, but it also comes with its great weaknesses. A focus on community (or on family) means that a person always has a place where they are welcome (which makes the parable of the Prodigal son much more understandable in that light.). However, a focus on the individual means that we often only welcome others as long as they "do" something for us. If we encounter conflict, we run away to another place where others, hopefully, won't be in conflict with us. When hard times come along, it's easier to leave when you don't have a community to be answerable to, and so we fail to grow and mature in our lives as we fail to stick it out with our community.
Sadly, this reality has greatly infiltrated God's Church. How many people look around for a church that fits their needs, rather than asking how they can work themselves into the church? How often do we look for what we want in the church, rather than asking what would be best for the family overall? How often do we treat each other as family (yes, even with the quarrels and the good times)? How often do we sacrifice what we want for what is good for the family overall?
God has created this wonderful gathering of His people called the Church, a place where God's people are renewed in the image of the sacrificing God who sacrificed for His people. Should we be surprised that our lives, as we are renewed in Christ each day through our baptism, should actually look the same?
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