Wednesday, 03 December 2008
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Monasticism and Mission
Reflections
Its been just over a year since we decided to return to West Coast and I am amazed at all that has happened. God has truly been at work in us and through us. We returned to Los Angeles with a vague vision for what we thought God wanted for us but over the course of the last year we have gained a lot of perspective. After reading about St. Patrick of Ireland we were inspired that we needed to live life differently from how we had been living and since we have been here we’ve discovered God calling others to similar things. It seems that we are a part of a world wide movement of new “missional communities.”
The purpose of our ministry is to live in radical community with a foundation of prayer and obedience for the purpose of healing the broken hearted and sending God’s people into the world to build his Kingdom. We are seeking to do this by finding a balance between living upwardly, inwardly and outwardly.
Living upward means that first and foremost we want to be about connecting to Jesus. By remaining connected to Jesus the Holy Spirit produces fruit in us (John 15). God puts passion in our hearts and we dream big dreams. Prayer is the foundation for how we are trying to live.
Inward living is about community. We envision the kind of radical community described in Acts 2:42-47. Through spiritual relationships we equip one another. Scripture says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).” In our relationships we inspire, encourage, and strengthen one another as we seek God and are sent into the world.
Finally, living outward is about mission. One of the most constant themes throughout the Bible is God’s heart to bless the world through his people. We encourage one another to live that out in the world. We are a hospitable community opening our home to the broken hearted expecting God to heal. We also send each other out to build the Kingdom of God in the community and the world through our ministries and vocations.
People have been involved in our community in a number of different was. We have a lot of guests that join us for prayers, celebrations, or just to hang out. We now have a friend from Virginia who has moved in with us and participates with us as we seek that balance of living upward, inward, and outward. Our third level of participation is our “team” that is fully committed to living as urban monks and maintaining the integrity of this community.
This is part of our community in our kitchen preparing for one of our monthly "family dinners."
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