Sunday. . .

Today my pastor said something that he had said before, but I had never fully understood. However, this time I understood, appreciated, and treasured what he said about the body of Christ.

Pastor Bob said that as a church we have a choice. We can be a bag of marbles or a bag of grapes.

At first, that doesn't make much sense. But as he explained it, I really began to take those words to heart. See, a bag of marbels is just a bag made up of solitary little toys that only come in contact with each other when they collide. But grapes together in a bag after a while have the skin rubbed off. And the insides of grapes come spilling out until there isn't a way to no where one grape ends and another begins. Instead of a bag full of 100 grapes, it's just one bag full of one substance. And that, he said, is the way the church should be.

I think that really is how we need to approach people. There's such a cry for isolation in our society. We make friends and lovers off the internet. We don't know our neighbors anymore. We know our coworkers only by their first names and we couldn't really tell you if they have spouses or children.

Sadly, that's the way it is with Christians, even those who call themselves "friends." We know enough to know the basics: where they work, who they're friends with, and if they're going to bring donuts to Sunday School. But we don't take the time to know them for who they really are. To see their struggles. To know what makes them laugh or cry. To know the way God is working in their lives or if they are wondering when He's going to show up.

It's a shame, really. Because we shouldn't be closed books. Our lives speak sermons about the grace of God. Where I may think I'm a failure, someone else may be able to help me be a success. Where someone has fallen down, I can prop them up. Pastor Bob even said, "God exposes the weaknesses in our lives so we can benefit from the strengths of others."

If we were to take to heart the illustrations in Scriptures about us being living stones and take it too far, I think that might be part of the problem. Because then we have an idea of single stones lining up and stacking up, each supporting under their own weight. In reality, the building of the body means we're like twigs leaning on each other and if one is removed, we're afraid the whole works will collapse.

We live in an age where it's considered wrong to be dependant on others. And yes, it IS a sign of our weakness. . . but since when is that a bad thing? We're weak people, it's time that we acknowledged that. We need others to carry our burdens, to hold our hands, and to pray for us when we can't muster the words. We were crafted in the image of God, who is Himself a relational being (Father, Son, Holy Spirit.) It should come as no surprise, then, that our lives are meant for relationship--not just with God, but with those He places in our paths either to strenghten us or looking for opportunities where we can lift them up.

C-Dubbs