Community…

I grew up watching Canada Geese fly in formation around Southeastern Minnesota. They would fly from the water out to the fields to eat and then come back again. Of course, in the late fall or early winter (winter/snow can come mighty early in Minnesota!) they would form up into their flying “V” formation and head for warmer climates. Now that I live in Florida, I know where they were headed as we have Canada Geese return each winter to the lake behind the church.

A relatively recent lesson in aviary aeronautics has been provided by the Brown Pelican. The first time I saw them in any great number was at Camp Beckwith, the Episcopal Camp near Foley, AL where Cursillo is held. Pelicans don’t exactly glide in for a landing like geese and ducks do. They sort of just plop into the water in a very ungraceful crash! It’s not a pretty landing, but I guess it gets the job done.

That’s why it was such a surprise to me to see them fly in formation (picture above) like the seven pelicans we saw flying by the condo where some friends were staying in Seaside. The precision with which they flew reminded me of the USAF Thunderbirds flying their routines when I was their chaplain. Without any visible signs of communication, the pelicans swooped and flew with perfect precision. Unlike the Thunderbirds with their constant communications during practice (I got to listen in on the headset a few times at shows) and during the shows, these pelicans seemed to have an uncanny ability to just fly together.

I have heard the stories about how Canada Geese will honk at each other to encourage each other and how the lead bird (at the point of the V) will drop back and be replaced when it gets tired. They draft each other and encourage each other as a community to keep on flying. If one bird is wounded or injured and has to drop out of the formation, another goose will drop out with them. The injured goose is not left behind or alone. Later on, once the injured goose has healed, they will return to a new flock and continue to fly until they rejoin their original flock at the final resting place. The geese were not meant to be solitaries. They were meant to be in community. I am not sure if it is exactly the same way with the pelicans, but after watching them fly together in formation, I have to think that they too were meant to be in community.

So what do the Canada Geese and Pelicans have to do with us, you may ask? They teach me an awful lot about community. They teach me about community and the fact that we need each other. John Donne famously said in his poem that no person is an island. I took the liberty of making his language a bit more inclusive.

No person is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every person is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s
Or of thine own were:
Any person’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in humankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

It has been sad to watch the disintegration of community over the years. Party and Political and Theological lines have been drawn in the sand (or blasted in concrete it seems in some cases) and people no longer want to dialogue or agree to disagree. The mythical troll of fairy tales that lives under the bridge has come out from under the bridge and now lives in the vitriol and absolutely hate-filled speech of blog post comment sections.

All of this polarization, which is encouraged by media outlets of all persuasions as they pour gasoline on the fire and toss in incendiary devices to make it even worse, has done nothing to build community. As Jesus said, a house divided against itself will not be able to stand. (Mark 3:25) This polarization has also impacted the church in a very serious and significant way. When the church is seen by many as bigoted, judgmental, and hateful (not all, but this is a general perception borne out in opinion polls) many, sadly, choose to walk away. Because of that, they don’t get to see what the church can be and what it is called to be… a community of caring people who seek to love and serve the Lord by loving and serving others.

No person is an Island… we were created to be in community… for instance, God created Adam and then created Eve because God decided that it was not good for Adam to be alone. We need to take a lesson from our friends the pelicans and geese. More importantly, I believe that we need to take a lesson from our faith stories.

The picture of the Jim Shore piece below that sits in my office is a reminder to me that God has called us to fly together in our daily lives. And as a pastor, I know that the church is called to fly closely… closely to each other… closely to God… and to draw others closer to God instead of driving them away. God help us to be the community we were intended to be… a community of love, justice, and mercy walking humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)