Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3, NRSV)
In the days leading up to the end of my seventh grade year, I began to panic at the idea of not being in school every week-day for the long stretch of summer break.
Of course, most young people can't wait until school's out for summer. Most youth are awaiting the endless carefree days with less items scheduled and more time to drift from one relaxing activity to another. Few ever wish to be back in the controlled environment of a middle school, where one always knows right where to be, what to be working on, and what is expected. Especially such an environment where one's social interactions are limited to five-minute breaks between classes in crowded hallways. Right?
That's the narrative popular culture would have us believe.
The truth is a little less straightforward than this. For many kids, including myself at that age, the clear expectations and limited parameters of middle school were oddly liberating. The boundaries around me there provided opportunity to test the waters, learn who I was, express myself, develop social skills within the safety of a community that was state-mandated to protect me. You might be thinking, 'wouldn't he miss seeing friends every day during the summer, or at least enjoy not having homework?' The problem for me was that I excelled at homework and I didn't have many close friends. So, for me at least, the pro's were limited when it came to summer break.
One of my chief complaints about summer break as a student was that the whole rhythm of my life would change. All of the sudden, I would be able to sleep in and I'd wake up at a different time, but I'd be groggy most of the day for it. I'd be able to stay up as late as I wanted, but it stayed light later, so more chores would be expected of me.
These were the days of yesteryear when television programing was dictated by the major networks who operated on a largely school-year schedule, meaning the summer was a pretty boring time for watching T.V. The internet hadn't been invented. Central air conditioning was optional, and expensive, and my parent's didn't have it yet. We had a garden to hoe, grass to mow, and a spate of other chores that came with the newfound 'freedom' from the classroom schedule.
Is it any wonder I dreaded the end of the school year?
The apostle Paul writes to the early churches very often concerning their building community around shared values and their newfound faith in Jesus. His over-arching message in the first chapters of his letter to the Philippians, for example, is one of unity in Christ. Though he didn't get any credit in the liner notes, I'm pretty sure the Apostle Paul co-wrote parts of the Beatle's hit, "Come Together."
I began summer break that year with a list of chores awaiting me come Monday morning. The first week day of our summer, my mother had left a daunting list to be done by the time she returned home from work. My brothers were young enough that they had been shuttled off to my grandparents' house for the day, and I was left alone with nothing to do but this list of chores.
And an old stack of cassette tapes.
When washing dishes became boring, about four or five minutes into the chore, I took a break and wandered up to that stack cassettes. There I discovered a record that would change my life forever. The Beatles Greatest Hits. I'd never heard of this group, but as I pushed 'play' on this cassette, the tape began to move and the sound soon took over my world. Having been previously stopped in the middle of the program 'side B', the song playing was one of the group's later hits, "Come Together." The lyrics were strange, from what I could make of them, but the music was compelling, hypnotic. I was an instant fan.
In the midst of a season I had been dreading for weeks, I found joy in an unexpected place. In my solitude, locked away from my community, I found a way to connect to a feeling of hope. Through the music of the Beatles, I began to find perspective on all of life's problems - love lost, friendship spoiled, you name it. Through this simple, harmless music, I found my way forward through a season of despair.
The apostle Paul encourages the faithful to form community around their faith as they await news of his fortune in captivity. His message to the early church still stands to this day: at the name of Jesus, we will come together. In the name of Jesus, we must remember this message always. Unity is the key to the Gospel - without sharing the Gospel, inviting others into the covenant, we risk losing our connection to Christ's teaching altogether.
Over the summer of chores, boredom, and self-reflection, I discovered joy and freedom and peace. I discovered it through the music I was hearing, but mostly I discovered it through what that music said to me. Unity, celebration of each other, fellowship, and above all LOVE got me through that summer, and changed my life forever. I credit this season as the one in which I began to seek my source in Christ. And yes, in some ways it's all related to The Beatles. When school resumed that September, I returned to the classroom with a newfound sense of identity, and a new vocabulary for life in community with my people.
When life tosses your plans in the air and shakes the foundations of your world, look for your anchor in Christ, who set his church to live in unity and harmony with one another. While you're at it, take a listen to the apostles' John, Paul, George, and Ringo. They aren't preaching Jesus, but they are preaching a familiar tune. It's time for us all to Come Together, right now...
In Christ,
J.M.D.