Clay in the Hands

I look forward to my Wednesday night schedule each week.  Each Wednesday I have the pleasure of gathering with some of our church family around tables and enjoying a meal together.  The fellowship is sweet.  Last night I listened – – and observed.  There was laughter and smiles – there was joy.  A part of me wanted to be at each table at the same time.

And then, after the meal, everyone scatters to all parts of the church for different ministries and Bible studies.  I get the opportunity to meet with a growing group of folks in our chapel where we spend a few minutes in prayer and then dive into God’s word and wrestle with what we find there together.

Last night was particularly transformative for me (and I pray it was for those gathered).  We worked through the later half of chapter 4 of the book of James.  There was great discussion and even some push back on some of the points I shared.  It was glorious.  When we wrapped up I made the statement that I appreciated everyone being there and in that moment I realized – I am having a blast!

As I have reflected on the experience, God has opened my eyes (just a bit) to the importance of gathering together to study God’s word.  I have been doing this for years and have waxed on about the importance of assembling together and the benefits of building relationships with other believers through small group ministry.  But something hit me this morning like a ton of bricks.

As I thought about all those gathered together in the chapel last night I thought about the diverse mix of folks – some college students, some old enough to be those students’ great-grand parents – some newcomers to the faith and some who have been followers in the Way for longer than I have been alive.  The collective wisdom of literally hundreds of years was brought together for 45 minutes to learn from God’s word.  Even writing these words gives me pause.  If I were to be able to ask each person in attendance, the number of years they have followed Jesus, the calculation would actually have been well over a thousand.  A thousand years of collective spiritual experience all gathered together in one room, focused on the same thing at the same time.  WOW!  That my friends is the church!!

What a humbling experience!

What you bring to the family may seem insignificant.  Maybe you have been a believer for most of your life – or maybe you are just getting started on this path.  Either way, when you combine what God has given you with what God has given the others in the family, the result is amazing and beautiful.

God has a place for you in a local body of like-minded believers.  If you are anywhere near Corpus Christi, I pray you will plug in with us.  But where ever you may be – plug in somewhere.  What you have to offer can only be offered by you.

Stay engaged!

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For those who may be reading my ramblings who are not familiar with my setting – I live and minister in America.  And not just America – I live and minister in the state of Texas.  And not just in the great state of Texas, but in the region of Texas we affectionately know as west Texas.  Just so that you can better grasp the environment, west does not just refer to the direction, it is a description.  Yes, we live in the western part of the state, but west Texas is more than just a direction – it is a mindset.  People do not live in west Texas for the beauty of the geography necessarily.  And the smell of feedlots and oil production aren’t a real draw either – unless you own the rights to one of those industries.

I have often mused that the only reason people settled in west Texas in the first place was because the wheels fell off their wagons during the migration to the west coast in the 1800’s and they simply decided to declare this unlikely place “home.”

So why do people live in west Texas?  The answer to that question would be as varied as the number of folks you ask.  But I think a common denominator to each response would be the people.  The people in our are of the state are – for the most part – genuine and friendly.  But another quality of Texans, dare I say Americans, is the attitude of individuality.  And west Texans seem to exemplify that attitude more so than many other folks I meet.  There is something of a frontier spirit – a boldness – an attitude that “I don’t need anyone else – I will make it on my own.”  And in our western mindset, we are conditioned to think of ourselves first.  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” has been modified to “Do unto others before they have a chance to do unto you.”  As genuine and friendly as we may be, we are selfish and self-centered at our core.

And so we live our lives looking out for ourselves.  But the Bible speaks of another way.  The Bible teaches that we really do need each other – that we were created and wired for relationships.  Life is not meant to be lived in solitude.  The old adage that no man is an island is not only true but Biblical.  God created us to not only enjoy being around others but to actually be dependent on others.

As an American living in west Texas, that cuts against the grain.  It is not how I am conditioned.  But when I get very honest with myself, I know, somewhere down deep inside, that it is true.  We all need each other.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the church.  We were each created completely and utterly unique, just like everyone else.  We each have unique qualities, gifts and passions that, when used together, compliment each other and work to fulfill God’s kingdom objectives in a way that we could never do alone.

God created us for community for a purpose.

Regardless of where you live, this truth is relevant to you in your setting.  God created you to serve alongside other believers for the benefit of the kingdom.

Are you plugged into a larger community?

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Christianity is often labeled as a belief system of requirements complete with a laundry list of “do’s” and “don’ts.”  People protest “religion” because it is a system designed by humanity that sometimes takes the place of God all the while claiming to be the avenue by which we can reach the creator.  And often, this system is virtually impossible to follow.  It can lead to frustration and confusion.  The result has been a movement to reject organized religion.  Those doing so have grown in numbers to the point there is a name for them – the “nones.”

Unfortunately, the claim that religion is a problem is often true.  Religion can become a hinderance to an authentic relationship with God if we let it.  But don’t throw out the baby with the baptismal bath waters.  Hebrews 10:25 reminds us to never turn away from the gathering of like-minded believers together in order that we might encourage one another along this journey in The Way.

We are relational creatures.  We were created with a need for one another and even more so – a need for God.  So organized religion can serve a purpose.  We are called to be salt in a tasteless world and light in a dark existence – and we can fulfill that calling more effectively together.

But the question remains, “What does God expect from me?”

It is true, humanity has built elaborate systems to try and answer this question.  But the reality is – the answer is extremely simple.  Micah 6:8 boils down the entirety of the Christian walk into a single verse:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

There it is – act as we should, love mercy and walk humbly with God.  God seeks a relationship with you.  God wants to walk with you along this journey and guide you to live as you should and to be a person that is know for your humility and mercy.  And we can lean on one another along the way and learn from one another as well.

So how are you doing.  How is your relationship with the Father progressing?

Be a blessing today.

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