Health Promotion Sunday: The Household of God

Brethren have not always made things safe for people. In fact, our dissenting posture actually makes our concept of church very dangerous. And because Brethren have seen accountability as a dimension of love, we are challenged to clearly define what we mean by "safety."

The baptizing movement that began in Schwarzenau, Germany, in 1708, intentionally chose no name for itself. In a tract, written by Alexander Mack, Sr., he described these people as the "Household of God," or "children of one household" under the care of "the Good Householder."

Mack wrote that Jesus, the Son of God, gathered and ordained "a household by his death on the cross and by his Holy Spirit." Jesus Christ gave the uniquely redemptive gift of love in his death and resurrection, to which the Scripture, especially the New Testament, witnessed. Through his forgiveness and his teachings, Jesus created the Household of a new, spiritual family and gave them examples to follow. This Church was not a safe place. In fact, to be baptized as a confessing adult was a crime in Germany. Renouncing the ways of violence, wealth and pride would be costly and lead to radical change. But such a Household would also be rich in God's love and joy.

The Brethren wove strong threads in their spiritual family that drew members apart from sinful choices into the path of discipleship. The gathering of the Church called for separation from all that led away from Christ, and created ties as strong as family to the members of the Church. Most of the early Brethren were displaced at least once, becoming refugees because of their religious faith. The Church was the household in which strong bonds of love gave a sense of home and belonging, as well as accountability and a challenge to discipleship. Sometimes the love was less visible than the challenge. Yet the goal persisted to be shaped into God's household through Christ's redemptive love and example. Eighteenth century Brethren shared their homes, their tables, their money and their hearts to help each other. They greeted each other with a holy kiss, and used the titles of "sister" and "brother" to show the kinship woven by Christ's love. They provided for their own widows and orphans, and shared beyond their community as they were able. Brethren eagerly invited and welcomed all to join the household, teaching that such membership was costly and meant a radical departure from sin. Certainly not everyone responded by accepting this invitation. Some who grew up in Brethren families left the family to find a different life. But the invitation to discipleship remained an open welcome.

The Brethren worshiped God in their homes, then later in barns. The meeting houses did not begin until the 1840s. Even then, many congregations in the East continued to meet in homes, or have preaching points in homes. This lack of "church architecture" emphasized the concept of church as a household of people, not a building nor an institution. Whenever a congregation grew larger than the amount of people who could crowd into a house, a new congregation formed in someone else's home. This was not a barrier to church growth, but rather to congregational size. The size limitation assured that people experienced God in a church that was a household. People knew each other face-to-face. Love and accountability were publicly practiced. Without large buildings, the Brethren remained centered on Christ and the people of Christ rather than a building.

Whether in homes, or in meetinghouses, for most of the nineteenth century, Brethren did not usually make special efforts to accommodate special physical needs. But, members probably would try to help anyone get into the building who wanted to come. Likewise, Brethren made no efforts, to reduce or soften the costs of discipleship and accountability within the Household of God. Sometimes the Church was a dangerous group, because they trusted that the gift of Christ's love would evoke obedience to Christ's example. Sometimes Brethren fell short of this desire.

As in every century, Brethren have lost some things along with their gains. American individualism leaves some Brethren feeling distant from their spiritual kin. In America's consumer economy, some have thought that Brethren need to pattern the church to please the tastes of potential consumers, rather than fit our lives to the pattern of Christ and the New Testament. Only a tiny minority of Brethren congregations would still consider Christ's love as a basis for both accountability and intimate fellowship. The legacy of the Brethren challenges us in the twenty-first century. We have understood Christ's unique redemptive work to bring spiritual healing. We are challenged in a new century to be bound together in a household, or spiritual family, joined in Christ's love as witnessed most fully in the New Testament. That love offers the deepest healing with God and with people. At the same time, it raises the deepest challenge to forsake everything that might interfere with our relationship with Christ and with one another in Christ.

In this day, people's lives are broken by many things, whether by chance or choice. America's standard of living exacts staggering costs on the majority of the world's population. Brethren face challenges we cannot yet adequately describe, such as the deepening AIDS epidemic, new technologies including artificial body parts, cloning, the ability to extend life, manipulating conception and birth patterns, and many more. Faithfulness in this new time will still depend on how we understand God's redeeming love in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amidst brokenness and death, faithfulness will depend on how seriously we take all the teachings of Jesus. And faithfulness will depend on how we yield to the Holy Spirit's weaving kinship and accountability in a fabric of Christ's love, using Scripture as our guide for faith and obedience.