Devotion – October 21 – “You are Needed”
It’s a tough time to be the church right now, for many reasons that I won’t go into. But the reality is, the church is going through a rough time. Add to that the Covid pandemic, and we as a worshiping community find ourselves in a situation that, to say the least, is difficult.
I was at a zoom meeting with pastors from three area conferences last Tuesday. Time and time again pastors asked questions about what to do in one area of ministry, and then another. And you know what the consensus answer was most of the time? A confused shrug of the shoulder, and a sad, somewhat fearful look on our faces.
I would like to tell you that I was the one pastor who rose to the occasion, took the lead, and showed all the pastors the way we need to go, but I won’t lie to you, my blank look was like everyone else.
But I do know one thing that needs to be done and it has nothing to do with pastors, Bishops, or synod leaders. I need to remind you how important you are to our congregation, because in the middle of our isolation and social distancing, I think many of us are losing our sense of importance as part of Jesus’ body in the world, and in our communities.
The Apostle Paul wrote in First Corinthians 15 (vs. 4-6, 12, 27): “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone ... For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ ... Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
And if you think Paul isn’t speaking directly to you because you believe your “gifts” aren’t that important, hear what else he has to say: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.” – Yes, YOU ARE AN INDISPENSABLE part of our faith community at Yellowstone and Argyle-Apple Grove.
True story: a number of years ago, a major corporation announced it would be moving its corporate office across the country. During an interview with the press, the board’s chairman was asked if he expected the employees to make the move to its new location. He replied that he felt that most of the important employees would transfer, but secretaries and other “non-essentials” would not, nor would they be invited to be a part of the move.
The next day, when the secretaries of the corporation read that quote in the paper, they decided to call attention to their importance. For the entire day not one secretary answered their phone. By the end of the day, the corporate office came to a standstill. Because of this demonstration of importance, the board chairman that evening made a public apology for his earlier comments.
Please never forget that you are an indispensable part of our congregation. Each and everyone of you is a NECESSARY piece of God’s wonderful gift, called the church.
No, I’m not sure what the future holds, or what the church is going to look like post-Covid, but I do know one thing for certain – you will be an essential part of its story.
~ God bless you for helping show Christ to the world. Dan