I Need You

I need you.  You read that right: I need you.  I don’t know how many pastors would actually state that.  And yet, it needs to be said because it’s only of the true realities of the church.  I, a/your pastor, am not the church; I am only a part of the church.  You, you beautiful people gathered in Christ’s name to share your lives and worship, are the church of which I am a single member of.

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This is tremendously important for you all to know.  In fact, I would say it is vital for you to understand because the church was never meant to be a singular individual.  As God is experienced in community within God’self (the fancy church word is parachoresis); so too, humanity experiences our God in community through one another.  For in our shared lives of trial and error, good and bad, joys and struggles and much more are we able to fully experience God’s presence and guidance in our lives.

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Logically, it must be stated that I, by myself, could never be the church alone because I am only one person.  I’m a fan of the long-running Tv series Doctor Who for a wide range of reasons.  One of them is that by this point, the main character (only known as the Doctor) has done so much and lived so long that just about nothing seems impossible for it (because the Doctor is an alien, not a human from earth) to do.  Immense threat of robots trying to destroy humanity, the Doctor will win in the end.  A character story episode in which someone from the lowest level of society needs to know that their life has value, the Doctor will do that with compassion and inspiration.  Why?  Because it’s the Doctor; the name says a lot about the character who wanted to be a healer and persevere of life.  Yet in the series, the times that the Doctor is at its lowest is when the Doctor is without a companion.

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I’m not the Doctor, or Superman, or any kind of superhero.  It is not within my ability to run fast like The Flash, have super strength like The Hulk, or manipulate people like Professor X or Jean Grey.  I am a fellow mortal person whom God calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies along with all other believers in Christ (Luther’s words, not mine).  And as such, the skills that God has given me allow me to serve you to the best of my ability as we worship and serve our crucified and risen Lord together; because I cannot do it all alone.  I need you.

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I need your hearts to help love our community.  I need your voices to proclaim Christ in the world.  I need your hands to live out what communities in Christ are meant to do in living our faith through our daily works.  I need your presence where you live your lives and I cannot be because I am living mine.  I need you.  And, as I need you; we need one another.  We need each other to witness, to live into being the Body of Christ together for the world, our community that needs God’s love lives out toward them.