Do We Huddle or Serve?

Ever been lost or left behind? I have and it was terrifying. The first memory I have like that I was eight years old and my parents and I went to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. My parents thought I was following them, but I guess I stopped to do something. I turned around and couldn’t see them anywhere. I looked around and saw a big ship at the end of the street. It wasn’t on water; it was just for a fun pirate theme. My little eight-year-old brain thought… “Oh, I can climb up high on those ropes and then I’ll be able to see them!” I started climbing and shortly I felt a tug on my ankle. It was my Dad, and he and Mom were mad that I ran off to play by myself! I know now they were just as scared as I was, if not more.

As Jesus followers, we don’t want other folks to get lost in their journey. When Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, he didn’t only say to “Go and make disciples.” He also said to baptize them and teach them all he had commanded the disciples.

Teaching is what a Jewish Rabbi did. His disciples would follow their Rabbi constantly for several years before they would take on their on students. It wasn’t like a weekend class and you were done. It was a lengthy process, and for good reason.

Have you ever been shown how to do something once or twice and then left on your own? You don’t feel very confident and there is a lot of winging it going on before you really get the hang of things. Sometimes it’s necessary, but it’s not the best way to learn. As Jesus followers, we should work to do better. We should come alongside people, walk through life with them and teach them. They will likely also teach us something on the way also.

You may be wondering about the title of this blog. I read a question lately that I think we all need to ask ourselves. Is our church a holy huddle or a serving community? Do others think we are a group that gets together for a pep talk every Sunday to then go out and just try to live ethically? Or do they think we are a group that gets together to worship God and then work together to be good neighbors who serve our community?

Coaches don’t have their teams huddle and then do nothing. They huddle to plan, and then they take action. We should too. So, how will you serve someone in your community this week?.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Cindy