The Christian Community in North America

The Armor of God

The Armor of God (Eph.6:10-20)

In a world full of conflicts and crises, peace has become a concept that usually no longer corresponds with hard reality. In war zones, peace has often become a distant promise, an illusion. In its stead, an expression has developed that is closer to the sobering truth: “armed peace,” a term we use for the condition in which peace is maintained, if need be, with force.

If we want to hold our own in a world full of violence we will have to arm ourselves. In the past century, the fine dreams of pacifism pretty much went up in smoke. They are no longer of our time. Instead, the battle for survival has become a daily reality. In social and political life we speak of competition and power. In our personal life we need assertiveness and preparedness. What else can we do to avoid being tread underfoot?

Armed peace—perhaps we need to take a second look at this expression. In our search for rest and security we usually cling to outer certainties to protect ourselves from violence. Those certainties have fallen away.

Peace in a violent world is only possible when we arm ourselves spiritually—with the shield of Faith, the helm of Healing, the sword of the Spirit. Only those who fight with these weapons truly know what armed peace really is.

For whoever remains incorruptibly true to the Spirit, is also protected by the Spirit.

–Rev. Bastiaan Baan, October 11, 2020

October 14, 2020/1 Comment/by CCNA

Blog, Homilies

The Wedding Garment

The Wedding Garment (Matt.22:1-14)

In our time, many people are living in the illusion that they can step into heaven just as they have lived on earth—straight up to God to tell him that things are not right on earth, and that He has to do something to put them in order.

Long ago, there was a time when people said when fate had struck: “The Lord has given, the Lord has taken away. Praised be the Name of the Lord!” Thereafter it became quiet, and people began to have doubts about the omnipotence of God. And now? It is only a relatively short time ago that people dared to ask: “Where is God in all those places where life has turned into hell? Why doesn’t He show His omnipotence?” In all questions of this sort sounds a still or loud reproach. We do not want to change ourselves; God has to do it for us.

When we want to ask God a question, we cannot simply stay the way we are. In the words of Christ: “…whoever does not take up the Kingdom of God in himself like a child, he will not find access to it” (Mk.10:15). When we want to enter His realm, we have to leave behind all that binds us to the dying earth existence: our possessions, our affairs, our everyday habits, our judgments and prejudices. We have to become like new-born children. We can stand before God only when we take our shoes off our feet, when we put away our outer confidence, when we want to receive the white garment of His pure life from His hands. Then we are ready to enter the wedding hall and stand eye to eye before Him.

–Rev. Bastiaan Baan 10/4/2020

October 7, 2020/0 Comments/by CCNA

Blog, Homilies

Stand Up!

STAND UP (Lk.7:11-17)

Wherever we go or stay, we are everywhere surrounded by the dying earth existence. Nearly a hundred years ago, when The Christian Community was founded, this expression, which sounds in our Creed, was virtually unknown. Admittedly, death was very much present in the war that preceded the founding of The Christian Community, but a dying earth existence…? At the time, probably no one could grasp the scope of this expression.

In our time, we all know in fact from our own experience what these words signify, even though there continue to be people who deny a crisis. Wait but a few decades, and no one will be able to deny anymore that we are surrounded by the dying earth existence.

Not only is the earth around us dying, but also the earth we take into ourselves. Everything we take in—food, drink, air, sense impressions, thoughts—has to die completely to be able to serve us. We human beings are the cause of countless forms of death on earth.

An old legend tells that, after Adam was expelled from Paradise, at each footstep the grass withered under his feet. In a certain sense, this legend has become reality.

Despite our leading role in this death process, through Christ—so says our Creed—we attain the re-enlivening of the dying earth existence. Does that happen exclusively through Christ? Or are there ways in which we can help Him renew life? Christ bears and orders the life of the world. How can we help Him bear and order?

Look into the world through the eyes of Christ—and the world appears in a new light.

Hear Him speak before you say a word—and your words will have wings.

Take Him into your thinking—and your thoughts will become more lucid.

Ask Him to go with you—and your feet will be guided.

And even though we are bound hand and foot to the dying earth existence, He will speak to us, even when we die: Stand up!

–Rev. Bastiaan Baan September 27, 2020

September 30, 2020/0 Comments/by CCNA

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