Pioneer Christianity (Friday Devotional)

 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

- Philippians 2:4

This week I learned that I would have made a terrible pioneer. With power knocked out for 19 hours, roads too icy to travel safely, and fears that our pipes were freezing, nothing I knew seemed to meet the moment.

My university and seminary education, despite the ways they’ve made me a better preacher and pastor, didn’t teach me how to keep my pipes functioning. The countless insights I’ve gleaned from reading history and literature suddenly seemed like trivia. Even the things I learned in Boy Scouts—where preparedness is famously foundational—didn’t do me much good.

When Snowpocalypse 2021 hit, it was the community around me—not my rugged individualism—that kept me and my family sane, safe, and warm. It was my father-in-law who shoveled our driveway and showed us how to turn off our water in the event of frozen pipes; it was my mother-in-law who cooked us a warm meal when our oven, stovetop, and microwave were all inoperable. It was Lindsey’s grandparents who gave us a place to sleep when our house’s internal temperature dipped below 50 degrees before sundown. It was my parents who watched, fed, and bathed the kids so that Lindsey and I had a few hours to shower and get some work done. And it was numerous friends who reached out via text message and social media to see if there was anything else we needed.

The last week was further proof of something the pandemic has been teaching us for nearly a year: we need other people. Community is neither an option nor a weakness, but a necessity. God did not intend for us to be alone, and it is through relationships—with him and with other people—that we experience the fullness of life.

As the ice and snow begin to melt away, this lesson should not. Moving forward, disciples of Jesus Christ must follow the lead of the selfless Samaritan instead of the religious but self-centered priest and Levite, neither of whom could be bothered by their neighbor’s need. Moving forward, believers must preach about not only personal salvation, but also the common good. Moving forward, Christians must eschew “Lone Ranger Christianity” in favor of biblical Christianity, where every believer is a part of the body of Christ, our individual functions and gifts intended to strengthen the whole.

This week I learned I would have made a lousy pioneer; my skills and knowledge weren’t up to the challenges the storm presented. But I can be thankful, and so can you, that God doesn’t call his children to rugged individualism—he calls us to gracious community.