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What Is The Church? Introduction
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What Is The Church? Disciples Breaking Bread Together
In the previous post in the series, we explored the significance of the Eucharist in communion. Looking beyond (though not ignoring) the layers of ritual, tradition and history, we remembered that Christ called us to remember Him through the shared meal of His disciples. Further, that meal itself becomes a witness of the gracious and humble unity of the church to a watching world. In this next post, we will engage what Jesus calls us to when He commands us to be baptized into His Body- what Yoder calls baptism and the new humanity.
Like with communion, the individualism in our culture has made baptism primarily an expression of individual piety. While it is, of course, very personal, it is to be, first and foremost, an act of the person entering into a new community. In 2 Cor. 5:16-17, some translations say being in Christ makes you a “new creature”, yet Yoder argues that it is more accurately translated in a larger, plural context, such as seen in the NIV:
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (emphasis added)
In other words, everything is changed. Centrally, baptism radically calls us to a transformed fidelity. Where are our allegiances? When we emerge from the waters of baptism, we emerge as part of the singular new creation, namely as the Body of Christ. We are His (and in a way, we are Him), thus making all other commitments, loyalties and identity second to the faithfulness we devote to Christ. It should be noted that this is not license to neglect other commitments, such as family, but rather that all other commitments come under the primary commitment to God. It is our strongest tie through which all others are either subservient or cut off.
This radical faithfulness to Christ then extends to each other as members of His Body, for we are no longer irreconcilably “other” to each other. Instead, our otherness finds place and identity as unique and diverse expressions of the member of Christ’s Body. Yet, our otherness mired in sin always divided us. It would tempting to seek unity through the eradication of otherness, but that would be no different than walking out on spouse and children because we say they violate our commitment to Christ. Our otherness is caught up in the new creation, becoming, through the grace and redemption of Jesus, a central aspect of our unity.
Thus, such faithfulness- and love- for God and each other requires a commitment to forgiveness, grace and humility. We are to leave in the waters of baptism any enmity, fear, hate- anything that holds on to a concept of otherness- ours and/or others- that divides rather than unites. This sounds far easier than it is- race, gender, socioeconomic differences, sexual orientation, etc.- each seeks to become the exception to the rule, allowing us to reject, alienate or subjugate the other. The new creation in which we are reborn is a kingdom life and such dis-integration has no place.
Many members of Little Flowers Community are already baptized. When we explored this new meaning, a few people suggested that we all get re-baptized. Unfamiliar with Anabaptist history, they did not see the humour in their suggestion. However, their desire for living into a baptism of this understanding is laudable. Our commitment to pursue that shared life of the new creation is an important aspect of how we live in and relate to our neighbourhood and city. While far from perfect, our community models a life of redeemed (and redeeming) otherness in some exceptional ways.
To avoid any shallow romanticism about these dynamics in our community, let me be clear: the unified otherness we seek to live into is complicated, messy and prone to failure. We are all too often tempted ignore our differences. Other times we are drawn to drown out differences towards some “ideal” of unity that is merely uniformity. Perhaps most tempting to us is to put on the guise of celebrating our diversity without ever facing the hard and defining work that such difference invariably requires of us. It requires repentance every time.
However, when we do the hard work that baptism calls us into, we have the opportunity of living a unity that is neither triumphant or idealistic. It admits our failures, forgives our oppressors, unites around a singular devotion, yet all the while holds onto the best of redeemed diversity. If we dare to live this way before a watching world, baptism and the new community of Christ is a powerful witness.
If you’ve been baptized, what did it mean to you? Has your understanding changed?
Do you believe baptism of this kind can be a transforming witness to the world?
