Notes on Life Together (2 of 5)
- Posted by Manuel Manceli
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In Chapter 1, Dietrich Bonhoeffer laid out the “what” and “why” of Christian community. In the ensuing chapters of Life Together, he becomes very practical about the “how.” Much of his advice remains sound for the Christian household as well as the local body of believers.
CHAPTER 2: THE DAY WITH OTHERS (HIGHLIGHTS)
MORNING
Morning is the time of God’s fulfillment (Eph. 5:14, Ps. 46:5, Mal. 4:2, Judges 5:31). The joy of the morning belongs to the Church of God, and common life together begins with common worship. The first thought and the first word of the day belong to God (Ps. 5:2-3, 57:7,8, 88:12-13). There is such a thing as rising early for the love of God (Gen. 19:27, 22:3; Ex 9:13, 24:4; Josh. 3:1, 6:12, 15; Mk 1:35, Ps 127:2). The beginning of the day should not be burdened with concerns of the day’s work. Common devotions in the morning: Scripture, reading, song and prayer.
Praying the Psalms (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). How can God’s Word be at the same time prayer to God? We can’t say some of the psalms as personal petitions but we can’t discard them, so how do they apply to us? The Psalter is the prayer of Jesus Christ who took on all our sufferings and prayed for the whole church. What do we learn from the Psalter? We learn that praying prayer is according to the Word of God on the basis of promises. Christian prayer takes its stand on the solid ground of the revealed Word and has nothing to do with self-seeking vagaries. We pray rightly to God only in the name of Jesus Christ. We can pray the imprecatory psalms because we are members of Christ, from the heart of Christ. Insofar as Christ’s blood and righteousness has become our “beauty and glorious dress,” we can and should pray the psalms of innocence as Christ’s prayer for us and gift to us. They belong to us through Him, not to generate in us what is foreign to us, but because this actually happened to Christ. The individual acknowledges that his prayer only a fragment of the whole prayer of the Church. He learns to pray the prayer of the Body of Christ, which lifts him above personal concerns and allows him to pray selflessly. Rejoice in the parallelism of members; pray antiphonally (call and response). In all our prayers, only the prayer of Jesus Christ alone has promise of fulfillment and frees us from the vain repetitions (Psalm 5).
Scriptures (1 Tim. 4:13): Our Scripture prejudice is to read only for the matter of hearing the Word of God for this particular day. However, the Holy Spirit is more than a watchword and a “light for today.” Brief verses should not take the place of reading Scripture as a whole. God’s Word is revealed through infinite relationships between the Old and New Testaments. It is good to be reminded that every passage far surpasses our understanding (Col 2:2-3). Consecutive reading of Biblical books forces everyone to hear and put himself where God acted in history. We are reverent participants and listeners in God’s actions. Insofar as we are there, he is with us today. The life of Christ is more important than the facts of my life. We must be where God demonstrated His love for all time. This takes time and work. Understanding the Word is the only way to have certainty and confidence in our personal and church activity.
Singing
God has prepared for Himself one great song of praise throughout eternity and those who enter the community of God join in this song.
On earth, this is the song of those who believe. In heaven, it is the song of those who see. The earthly song is bound to God’s revealed Word in Jesus Christ. It is the simple song of God’s called children – sober, grateful, reverent, and addressed steadily to God’s revealed Word. A new song is first sung in the heart (Eph. 5:19). Where the heart is not singing, we are only dreadful medley of human self-praise – a song to idols. Prerequisites of singing together are to surrender to Word, to be incorporated into a community of great humility, and much discipline. Singing makes possible to speak and pray same Word at the same time. Music is servant of the Word, elucidating the Word in its mystery. Sing at regular times of day or week. The more song, the more joy, devotion and discipline, which results in richer blessing to the whole life of the fellowship. Sing in unison, unspoiled by techniques of music and such motivations. Disturbances in fellowship include vanity, bad taste, obstinate and moody people who will not sing. The voice of the Church is heard in singing together, and we are privileged to share in its song.
Common Prayer. Common prayer in all simplicity and soberness must never be stifled, because Christ attached great promise to it. It should be the prayer of fellowship, not the individual praying, necessitating that the individual knows the daily life of fellowship, the cares, needs, work, people committed to our care, joys, thanksgivings petitions, helps, and has the counsel of others. Every word of criticism must be transformed into fervent intercession and brotherly help for the one praying. Prayer is not governed by moods and should be offered no matter what kind of mood the intercessor is in. We learn what it is to have a duty to perform on behalf of the fellowship, and this involves the fellowship’s understanding and supporting, the praying brother’s prayer with him as prayer. Formalized prayers can be a help but cannot substitute for prayer I owe to God today. Prayer meetings only held where there is a common desire and individual undertaking. Let nothing be done by force; let everything be done in freedom and love.
FELLOWSHIP OF THE TABLE
The Christian family receives daily bread from hand of the Lord. Jesus sat at table with the disciples. The Lord breaks bread for us and our eyes are opened. The table has been blessed by presence of God. There are three types of table fellowship: daily fellowship at table, table fellowship of the Lord’s Supper, and the final fellowship at God’s own table. What does table fellowship mean? 1) We know that Jesus Christ as giver of all gifts, Lord and Creator of this world the Father and Holy Spirit. We acknowledges the eternal divinity of Christ, as the True Gift, as the One calling us to his banqueting table. 2) We acknowledge that all earthly gifts are given for Christ’s sake. The whole world is sustained only for the sake Jesus Christ, His Word, His message. We focus on the bread of life, not only as giver but as the gift itself, for whose sake all earthly gifts exist. His message must go forth, and so God sustains us. 3) We believe that Jesus will be present when the fellowship prays for his presence, “Come Lord Jesus be our guest.” We confess the gracious omnipresence of Jesus Christ. Every meal time fills Christians with gratitude for the living, present, Lord Jesus. Thus table fellowship is not “morbid spiritualization” of material gifts but wholehearted joy of God’s true gift. Meal times have a festive quality and are recurring reminders of God calling us to rejoice in the midst of toil (Ps. 127:2; Eccl. 2:25, 9:7, 8:15; Ex. 24:11). The table also implies obligation. We share our bread and are firmly bound to one another in our whole physical being (Isa. 58:7, Mt. 25:37; James 2:15,16). As long as we eat our bread together, we shall have sufficiency, even with little. Here, we still eat perishable bread of earthly pilgrimage, but we shall also one day receive the imperishable bread together in the Father’s house (Lk. 14:12-15).
WORK
After the first morning hour, the Christian’s day until evening belongs to work. Prayer and work are two different things. Prayer should not be hindered by work, nor work hindered by prayer. Prayer is entitled to its time, but the bulk of the day belongs work. Without the burden and labor of day, prayer is not prayer; without prayer, work is not work. Work, the world of things, frees man for objectivity. The “it-world” is the only instrument in hand of God for purification of Christians from all self-centeredness and self-seeking. Work can only be done when a person forgets himself and loses himself in the “it” case/task/reality. He allows himself to be limited by task, and this is remedy against indolence and sloth of flesh. The passions of flesh die in world of things, but this can only happen when Christians break through the “it” to the “Thou,” which is God. He bids man work and make that work a means of liberation from himself. The hardness and rigor of labor is really sought only by the one who knows what it does for him. The struggle with “it” remains, but at same time, the breakthrough to “Thou” is made. The unity of the day is discovered in which Paul calls praying without ceasing. The prayer of the Christian includes the whole day, and promotes, affirms, lends meaning to work. Every labor of Christian becomes a prayer, not in the unreal sense of constant turning away from the task that must be done, but in doing all in the name of Jesus, everything acquires order and discipline (1 Thess 5:17; Col 3:17; 23).
NOONDAY AND EVENING
Noonday is a brief rest on day’s march. Offer thanks to God and prayer for protection until eventide. The sustenance that God provides becomes consolation to afflicted (2 Thess 3:10). We cannot take for granted that our work provides us with bread. Bread is God’s free and gractios gift. Noon is one of the seven prayer hours of the Church and the Psalmist, a brief devotion of song and praise.
Evening devotions are to be held at the actual end of day, thus beoming the last word before the night’s rest. Evening prayer is the proper place for common itntercession, for all Christdendom, for our congregation, for the pastor and his ministry, for the poor, wretched, lonely, sick, dying, our neighbors, our fellowship. When can we have any deeper sense of God’ power and working than in the hour when our hands lay down their work and we commit ourselves to the hands of God (Psalm 121:4)? Every evening, the prayer of the family should include a petition of forgiveness for every wrong done to God and our brothers and for readiness to gladly forgive any wrong done to us. It is to be the decisive rule of every Christian fellowship that every dissension that the day has brought must be healed in the evening (Eph. 4:26). Therefore, there should be a special place for reconciliation to be made and fellowship to be established anew. Prayer for protection during evening is the recognition of man’s helplessness.
It is the prayer that God may dwell with us and in us even though we are unconscious of His presence, that He may keep our hearts pure and holy in spite of all the cares and temptations of the night, to make our hearts ever alert to hear His call and…answer Him even in the night…’They day is thine, the night also is thine’ (Psalm 74:16).
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