“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” (I Corinthians 12:26)
As we reflect on how we look our best as a congregation, one of our guiding principles reminds us that at our best you will see us “Caring and supporting one another with the love of Jesus.” This is not a random choice that we have selected to do, it is a biblical value that we are called to live out.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that a faithful life is intertwined with the lives of others. It is easy, in America, to think of faith as an individual thing. We each do our own believing and Jesus loves each of us individually. But while it is true that Jesus does love each of us, there is little about biblical Christianity that promotes the individualism that our culture often promotes. In fact, too many people are made weaker in their faith journey by the not very true idea that, “I can do my own believing. I’m spiritual but not religious. I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.”
“Going to church” is not a requirement for God to love you (there aren’t requirements since the God we meet in Jesus already loves you). But becoming a Christian is grounded in community – being part of a community of people who share gratitude for God’s grace in Christ and commit to living out their faith as followers of Jesus. Christianity has space for solitude and being apart from people (sometimes it is even important). But at its core, Christianity is a communal religion. It is something we do together.
The Apostle Paul shares how this looks when he says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” (I Corinthians 12:26). Jesus says the same thing even earlier when he tells his disciples, “ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
As a congregation, the people of Zion are called to live this out. Staff help and participate in this when the pastor or deacon visit, give someone a call, text a message of support, or send a note of thanks or sympathy. At Zion we also have a group of people who are trained and make this a priority – our Befriender Team. These folks meet regularly to support and equip one another and take special time to care for particular people who are blessed by an extra connection.
But this is also something that belongs to all of us. None of us live apart from all of us. So, when one of us hurts, all of us are there to share the sadness or pain and offer prayers, care and support. This means sharing news about each other (not gossip!) that helps all of us find ways to care. And it means remembering that it is not enough to attend church activities – we are called and blessed to be a caring community. We all share in the work of being sure each and all of us receive tangible signs of the love of Jesus.
