It was at some point at the beginning of the Renn Fayre fireworks show this past weekend when I realized the importance of the "body". Sigur Rós, "Gobbledigook" echoed throughout the Reed College campus, as fireworks were launched and lit up the Portland night sky. "We are Reed", I thought to myself. Surrounded by faculty, staff, students and neighbors, I realized that were are all invested in this moment and we are one body. There was no olde, middle or nü . There was just, "us", the one body. I was waiting for the voice of Meredith Grey to narrate this beautiful moment as if it was the closing of a very optimistic episode of Grey's Anatomy.
We are all a part of this "body" or "community" called Reed. We need each other. We rely on each other. We can not function properly without all parts of the body doing their part. We are governed by honor. We are derailed by another's issues.
The Reed community to me is authentic community. With Honor as our overarching principle we called to challenge, question, love, respect, communicate, support one another, and promote a healthy living learning community through our actions. The Honor Principle is not something that is visible or tangible, but it's just always been there and it takes a great deal of faith to trust in it. There are many interpretations of this Honor Principle, but the idea remains the same. People in this community don't always agree, but because of such debate, we become more grounded in our beliefs and are better people because of it.
When one or more members of our body or community are torn apart or disbanded we are not as strong. Recently, Imago Dei put all outside programs on hold (realistically I should used the word cancelled) which include home communities, 3 O'clock People (ministry that feeds the homeless), amongst other awesome programs that they have going. I have seen political moves by church elders give low blows before, but this really did piss me off. Many people rely on home community for prayer, accountability, fellowship, etc. To hear leaders of the home community say that we need to "submit to authority", meaning the church elders, frustrates me. If we don't challenge authority, we don't learn, we don't grow, we give into the machine. The Bible calls it the "world", Imago calls it the "empire".
In my opinion the church is a blind spot in this "empire" that they are asking us to flee from. Imago calls us to "corporate prayer" on a designated day and time once a week so that we can show we love the church. It's almost like a ransom to pay for home community. I'm thankful I'm the only one that does not hold these opinions.
Home communities have gone underground and others are still serving the city of Portland. People are frustrated with each other because of the corporate decisions made by elders. Blaahh! It's all a big mess. I'd rather keep myself respect and stand my ground and not submit to things that I disagree with. I answer to God and Him alone.
I used to attend a very conservative church, far more so than Imago. The pastor once said that if we "took every word that came out of his mouth as Truth, then we are dumb". I stand by that statement wholeheartedly and rather than running from the empire, I choose to STRIKE THE EMPIRE BACK in order to preserve the body.
I have a feeling that all this is just a prelude to something bigger that will be ongoing. Like Jesus Christ, Donald Miller, Harvey Milk and Donnie Darko sometimes we just need to push back for the sake of truth, honor and love.
"Breathe kids, the mold is getting old
It'll be gone any day
The hipster empire of tomorrow
Will fall to the common kids of today
With tied wrists we're under their control
With fists clenched, we're taking on the world
I write down words with cathartic intentions
But they spawn revolutions of minds"
-bayside
