You Need a WE
In August of 1987, I loaded my 1979 Toyota Corolla that was mostly white except for the Bondo that filled a large crater on the driver’s side door that showed the scar of a previous wreck before the car was in our family. I set out that afternoon for my new life and new adventures at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Okla. The drive took just over four hours, but the changes in my life were more lasting.
The first week of college was our Welcome Week orientation period for freshmen. We spent the week learning about the campus and the traditions of OBU. We learned the Alma Mater. We learned the Fight Song. And we learned Ka-Rip, the school cheer. At OBU, the freshmen wear beanies during that orientation week. There was no hazing, only encouragement from the Welcome Week upperclassmen. But, we had times of fun, times of orientation, times of worship, and times of hanging out.
This week bonded the freshmen class together because it was a shared experience. The key aspect of all of it was “we.” We were in it together as freshmen. Then, classes started. The reality of college sat in. And, quicker than anyone could imagine, the years went by and graduation came. But, some of those fellow freshmen were friends through college and beyond.
The church has a similar but much more spiritual effect on us as brothers and sisters in Christ. As we proclaim Christ, we also acknowledge that we are in this together. We are joined through a common experience that we have had with Christ. Our differences are minimized and our unity in Christ is maximized. We are “no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19).
The Church emphasizes the “we” in the body of Christ. We are connected and a part of the same household. We are being built together for “God’s dwelling in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). We are joined in such a way that God chooses to live in us through His Spirit…individually AND collectively.
We proclaim together what Christ has done in us so that others can hear and join us in the journey as God works in them and draws them unto Himself. The proclamation brings unity in our message and an invitation for others to experience the grace of Christ that we have. May we look up as we experience the fullness of Christ during our worship and ministry together. The “we” of the Church is a vital part of what God does in us through Christ.
If you have become disconnected from the Church, you are missing out on a big component that God has for your connection to Him. You were never intended to it alone. If you have become disillusioned with the Church, remember the grace that Christ has shown you and show grace by realizing that no church is perfect. Whatever you do, get in Church.