Reflection Questions: Chapter 4 "Community"

Reflection Questions for Chapter 4: Community (p.47-59)

"[The] compassionate life is a life together. Compassion is not an individual character trait, a personal attitude, or a special talent, but a way of living together.... living in community".

1. What is the authors' understanding of "community", and what is it NOT? How do you define community?
2. Where have you experienced community? Or, how are you experiencing community in your own life?
3. The authors posit that a "Christian community mediates between the suffering of the world and our individual responses to this suffering" (53). They believe that the Christian community, fully manifesting Christ's love, will allow us to recognize, embrace, and change "the painful condition of the human family without being paralyzed by this awareness" (53). Have you seen, recently, concrete examples of the Christian community in action? Where have you seen this? How can you participate in it?
4. In the next week, pay close attention to instances where you think "the pains of the world are [being] presented to people who are already overwhelmed by the problems in their small circle of family or friends" (51). How can you as an individual and as a member of CCUMC "see the suffering" and "be moved to compassion"? How do you respond?