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The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis and Life in the Kingdom

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The sheer brilliance of `Cost of Community' is found in the beautiful interplay between the classic yet stunningly cutting edge theology of St. Francis of Assisi, the epic sermon given by Jesus in the `Sermon on the Mount,' and the nitty gritty practice of both those influences in his little urban community called Little Flowers. Jamie Arpin Ricci's writing talent is obvious. His words flow elegantly as he digs deep into the Sermon on the Mount, and the life and the theology of St. Francis and finds what the consequence of doing life together as people molded and shaped in the spirit of Jesus looks like. The interpretive jump between the Sermon on the Mount, St. Francis of Assisi, to the urban Little Flowers community is what struck me the most. As I read it, I kept thinking that this is what the results would be if the Sermon on the Mount and the theology of St. Francis of Assisi would collide and land in our current context. We need more interpretive practitioners such as Arpin-Ricci as we explore the still cutting edge theology of centuries ago in our current post modern what-cha-ma-call-it world. It's urban, it's Franciscan, it's Anabaptist, it's loaded with what it means to read the sacred text, engage a classic theology and ultimately put it into practice. The `Cost of Community' will scream at you, and inspire you, to go and do likewise. Read this book.

Br. Jamie Arpin-Ricci strikes a good balance here between exegesis, historical narrative and personal reflection. On the exegetical side, Arpin-Ricci examines the three chapters of Matthew's Gospel that make up the Sermon on the Mount. He takes some interesting stances to draw the contemporary reader into the Gospel narrative, for example, he calls the Lord's Prayer the Disciple's Prayer because of how Jesus teaches his followers through it. He also provides an honest but brief examination of St. Francis interspersed throughout the text, admitting the very human failures of the man while emphasizing the lasting, Godly example his life and teachings provide us.

The author's considerations of these things within the context of his own community leave the most lasting impact on this reader, especially the stories of love and community with some very broken people. I'm very pleased to have read the book and found it to be of a greater depth than I expected when it arrived from Amazon. I look forward to going back to it again and again for reflection.

I bought the book because the author and I are friends, but I had no idea what his book writing style or would be like. It is much better than I anticipated (I anticipated a good book, just not this great!) and I expect that it will remain nearby as a resource for personal devotion and pastoral care in many opportunities.

It's hard for me to determine where to start with my review of The Cost of Community. I've been "living" with the book now for several weeks. It isn't a slow or difficult read, but it has been extremely stirring for me; it has been personal, inspiring, convicting, challenging, and prophetic. Yes, I have been stirred and in a good way. I suppose I should start with some of the basic book review details and then proceed from there.

Summary: Written by Jamie Arpin-Ricci, C.J., The Cost of Community is about realizing, believing, interpreting, and putting into practice Jesus' great message from the Sermon on the Mount. Jaime, who is part of an Anglican lay order in the Franciscan tradition, calls back to the time of St. Francis of Assisi who heard the message of Christ's Sermon and challenged the church and culture of his day by embracing the spirit of Jesus' words and structuring his life around them. Francis truly believed he was to "give up all things" so he might find his life in the full in the crucified Christ. Fast forward to today and Jaime Arpin-Ricci with friends, neighbors, and the family of Little Flowers Community in urban Winnipeg also hear the call of Christ's words in the Sermon on the Mount, ordering their lives after this model of God's Kingdom on earth. This book offers insights and experience about life together in the spirit of Jesus' teaching; what it offers us, and what it demands of us.

And, so it begins. In a nutshell, the book is about the reality of living the Sermon on the Mount ...today---really. This is what makes the book more than just an exposition or commentary on the Sermon, and in my opinion, so much more believable and "gripping." I identify with and appreciate the words of Sean Gladding who wrote; "Jamie Arpin-Ricci holds our feet to the fire with the humility of one who himself continues to wrestle with the implications of taking Jesus at his word." This is the Sermon on the Mount come alive.

The introduction and first chapter are important pieces for the remainder of the book; these introductory pieces help the reader to understand the position from which the rest of the book will be filtered and examined. The premise is that Jesus meant for us to do what he taught us, especially in the Sermon on the Mount. This premise might be somewhat polarizing considering there are a great many Christians who idealize the Sermon on the Mount and consider its call beyond the reach or attainment of mortal humans. Arpin-Ricci brings some of these arguments to bear in his introductory statements citing a number of sources, including a particularly acerbic statement from G. K. Chesterton who is quoted saying, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."

The next several chapters are spent in reflection on the Blessings of the Beatitudes. Jamie artfully weaves historical accounts from the life of St. Francis and personal experiences from the Little Flowers Community into the reflections on the "Blessings." Assuring us these blessings are not just lofty-heavenly ideals, but earthy and gritty invitations to partake in the Kingdom of God now, the stories of Francis and Little Flowers help the reader to embrace the blessings in their own context of life...it did for me.

Chapters six through ten move into the heart of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. While the opening chapters invite us to enter into the blessings of the Kingdom of God on earth, gritty as it may be, chapters six through ten share how the kingdom looks and operates in a world that pushes opposite the Kingdom of God. This entire section was riveting for me; challenging and convicting me through each chapter and sub-heading. I was especially touched by sections discussing "Love your enemies" (pp. 122-125), "Hiding in Plain Sight" (chapter 8), and some beautiful stories about "Francis" and "Jimmy" from the chapter "The Disciple's Prayer" (chapter 9).

Jamie's exposition, experiences, and personal reflection on Jesus' words from Matthew chapter seven (chapters 11-12) are probably the most poignant and challenging for me in the entire book. In it he discusses the concepts of humility, surrender, mutual submission to one another as the heart of what Jesus' invitation to us is all about; "Come, follow me" (come and die, so you might experience resurrection life). There is nothing in this call that is ethereal and idealistic. It (The Call of Christ) is the "gritty" and the real, the absolute and total surrender of all today for the promise of all tomorrow, and the realization that without the "grace of the God who invites" there is no way in heaven or earth that we can follow.

Some ten years ago I was in a lengthy study of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. I had been a big fan of the works of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and decided to purchase his work, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. This was the beginning of the end for me. I have been and continue to be forever broken by the Sermon on the Mount. I mention this resource in passing to point out the wonderful resources that are included at the close of the book. Jaime has provided a very generous list of recommended reading covering the Sermon on the Mount, The Beatitudes, The Lord's Prayer, and St. Francis and the Franciscans. While reading lists can be subjective, I was encouraged and affirmed by the realization that I too have been impacted in a very positive way by many of the same books. I heartily endorse his list and to it I would add Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together and Oswald Chambers' Studies in the Sermon on the Mount.

I mentioned earlier that this book would likely polarize people and I think by the end of the book that is what the outcome will be. There will be some who will shrug and think "that's a nice idea, but I don't think that's very realistic" and there will be others who will be broken, as I am... who think, "I know and in my deepest heart have known this is the life Christ has called me to live" and as Francis did so many years ago, determine to abandon all so that they may follow Christ to the full. I am hopeful you enjoy and are challenged as much as I have been by this book.

During the week of Thanksgiving, I had some much welcomed vacation time. Amidst food, family, and other holiday festivities, I took advantage of the rest and curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee and The Cost of Discipleship: Jesus, St. Francis, and Life in the Kingdom by Jamie Aprin-Ricci a.k.a. @missional. Below are 3 reasons you should read this book.

1) Jamie's treatment of the biblical text

IMHO, this just might be the greatest strength of The Cost of Community. Throughout, Aprin-Ricci digs deeply into the wellspring of the Sermon on the Mount. However, his reflections are offered in such simple, personal, and reflective ways that seasoned Christians, apprehensive searchers, and defiant skeptics would all do well by perusing the pages of this book. Furthermore, passionate and practical calls to live the text always follow Aprin-Ricci's thoughtful and convicting analysis of the text. Therefore, the collision of these two narrative qualities make the book meaningfully accessible for those who have spent significant time in the Word and those who have not. I feel that The Cost of Community has much to give everyone regardless of their current faith journey status.

2) Jamie's honest portrayal of St. Francis

The book has a helpful flow from biblical text to St. Francis' embodiment of the text to Jamie's and Little Flowers' attempts at living the text. More specifically, when telling stories about and discussing St. Francis, Jamie provides honest and inviting commentary. Sometimes, those tremendous, sacrificial influencers who have come before us in the faith, contributed so much to our own spiritual formation that it becomes difficult to see and/or accept their humanity, flaws, and the "Jesus discrepancies" of their life. However, Jamie's authentic characterization of St. Francis helped me understand him more and challenged me to imitate him in many ways. He does not place Francis on a pedestal to be worshipped; however, he does a wonderful job highlighting the Christ-likeness Francis lived that we would do well to imitate. On the other hand, Jamie does not skip over or "beat around the bush" when Francis may have been a little "over the top" or "to-the-extreme" in unhealthy ways. I appreciate Jamie for this, and his St. Francis perspectives contribute to the honest tone of the book.

3) Jamie's stories

Finally, The Cost of Community is a great read because of the stories Jamie tells from his own life and the life of his Winnipeg Jesus community, Little Flowers.

The biblical text must be lived, and after Jamie provides a lens for us to peer into St. Francis' life of living the text, he also invites us into the journey of Little Flowers' experiences with living the text. Through relationships, life in a tough neighborhood, and sacrificial choices, Jamie has embraced the Sermon on the Mount by living it; and therefore, the stories found among the pages of The Cost of Community speak with authority.

Three reasons you should read The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis, and Life in the Kingdom: meaningful treatment of the biblical text, honest portrayal of St. Francis, and real-life stories from the ministerial trenches.

I highly recommend this book. You would do well to soak up its pages.

Earlier this fall, my friend Jamie Arpin-Ricci's new book The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis and Life in the Kingdom. I was sent a copy to review by Likewise, and it has been my favorite book I've reviewed this year.

The Cost of Community in all truth has made me a little jealous. It's the sort of book that I'd like to write - one that explores scripture but does not settle for leaving it in the abstract, instead rooting it in story. In the case of this book, Jamie's exploration of the Sermon on the Mount is rooted in two stories, the story of Little Flowers, the church plant Jamie is a leader for, and the story of St. Francis.

The combination of these two stories made the book a fruitful read, with a lot of movement towards thinking through what Jesus is actually teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. It was enjoyable to read it after just finishing a fall of reading through the Sermon on the Mount in our Sacred Roots gatherings. I found that Jamie handled the scripture quite well and was well aware of various approaches to interpretation in the text. But what really stood out to me was that throughout the book there is a dedication to focusing on what it means to really live out what Jesus is teaching. In a time where we prone to liking Jesus but coming up with great excuses to not do what he taught, this book comes across as a great reminder of the weight and cost of what Jesus is teaching.

Seriously, go read The Cost of Community.

Jean Vanier once wrote that "community begins in mystery and ends in bureaucracy." Those words are not from a cynic, but from one who has spent much of his life's energy on building authentic and caring communities.

There is probably no larger buzz word in western churches than the word "community." It appears on church signs, selling community like shampoo. Sadly, the term is as ubiquitous as soap, and considerably less useful! Like other great words (ie. missional, or leadership) it is usually co-opted by consumerism, yet too important to leave behind. But maybe we should.

Until -- the word is storied -- reconnected to a living community, a people on a faith journey in all the weakness and glory of the Cross. Suddenly the word has substance again.

Jamie's book is like this, something of an icon -- a window through which one glimpses an alternate world, and the faithfulness and goodness of God. In that vision we regain some hope that maybe it really is possible to follow Jesus, even in the hectic pace of life, and amidst all the distractions and imperfections that mar our lives as disciples.

The book is more confessional than didactic, but unlike other recent books on the life of Francis of Assisi, it shows forth something of the real life of the one it emulates. In this it is a call to others to follow, as the Little Flowers community offers a "sign and a foretaste" of the kingdom of God.

I have really been in touch with the life of St. Francis for the past 10 years or so, and found it refreshing to read this book by Jamie Arpin-Ricci, linking the words and actions of Francis with his experience among the poor in the city of Winnipeg.