City on a Hill: Prayer, Work and Stability

Tracy and I had opportunity to visit Rome for two weeks during our early twenties. Tracy had a paid bursary to go as part of her University studies. We were also Salvation Army workers, so managed to get a very cheap Salvation Army apartment at the top of a homeless hostel for our stay. The September weather was ridiculously hot and stifling, but Rome was absolutely glorious. What a tremendous history visible for all to see. Transported back into time! It’s a tick off the bucket list.

Benedict left Nursia to go to Rome to complete his studies in the late 5th century. By this time, the Roman Empire had fallen and Rome had been sacked by the Visigoths – Rome was now thoroughly pagan, and rife with all sorts of immorality. Benedict was completely perturbed by what he experienced and left. He joined a group of disciples praying out beyond the suburbs of the city for three years praying in solitude. This was the beginning of Benedict’s community building, and during his life, he’d go on to found 12 communities where the focus was ‘ora et labora’ – prayer and work.

Living under what became the ‘Rule of St Benedict’ (which is not as severe as it sounds), this set of guidelines for community living valued not only prayer and work, but stability. You stuck with the community for life – you got to be known! There was no hiding, no abandoning challenging seasons, and much need for grace! All of this in the midst of a violently pagan society where there wasn’t really anywhere to run anyway. This is important as we become holy disciples, but its also important for our communities to have stable gospel witness in these days of decline.

Whilst we may not all be rushing to the monastery, there is something significant in finding your groove as a community of faith. What is it that constitutes our life together? It has to be more than just a Sunday service. It’s a good focal point once a week, but it’s not a place where I get to be known and where my imperfections not only get exposed, but where my character gets refined. If your fellowship were to define your community life using two words, what would it be?

Note the context: licentious, pagan Europe where everything is disintegrating fast. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Jesus was coming back soon. Here we are, nearly 1500 years later living our lives in post-Christian Europe where everything is disintegrating fast. Easy to assume that Jesus is coming back a week on Tuesday…but what if he is to tarry about 1500 years? What does that mean for us?

We are not told when Christ will return to establish his rule on earth, the eternal ‘city on a hill’, so our only choice is to make the daily decision to live for Christ as brothers and sisters, trusting in the transformational power of God to form us into a community of light who become a family to us. Together, we might find our rhythm of life and become beacons in the 21st century night.