Together we stood in the drafty room, under the vaulted wooden ceiling, remembering. Remembering the cross, the cross that held Jesus on a Friday long ago. We sang and listened and worshipped the God who gave us such a precious, good gift.
Together we stood in the open dining area, in middle of the jungle. Two groups of Christians who randomly found each other on a weekend retreat in the jungle in Malaysia. They invited us to worship with them and even sung a couple songs in English for us. Then we spread out into a circle and they taught us one of their favorite traditional worship songs. It was in Chinese and it had hand motions and everything. We laughed, clapped, and praised God together.
Together we stood shivering as the rain pounded against the pavilion. The sky was dark and this was goodbye. We were saying goodbye to the staff at the Christian camp in Costa Rica. Our bus was waiting to whisk us through the night to the airport. I barely knew them, but many of my squadmates had worked alongside them. That night we were all there, as these lovely people encouraged us. They reminded us to run the race well, to recognize the impact we have on others. They thanked the team who worked alongside them for being lights in their life and for living on fire for Jesus. They said they were reminded to live with passion on fire for Jesus, and to not just go through the motions.
Together we sat in a circle on the sunlit lawn, listening to Bud’s stories. The trench was underway, but in that moment what was most important was hearing about Bud’s life. His stories were both sad and inspiring. He encouraged us in our work and with his faith and strength of spirit.
Together we prayed for her migraines. We came together, all one hundred and fifty of us around a lady who was a friend to some of us and stranger many. We lifted our voices all at once asking God to heal her, thanking God for His deliverance. Some worshiped too, singing Break Every Chain. Slowly more and more people began to sing, and the murmur of voices came together, singing of the power of Jesus. As we sang you could feel the power and presence of Jesus. It was beautiful and overwhelming.
Together we prayed for each other, late into the night. A large group of us came together to fight for each other in prayer. As we gathered, we weren’t ashamed to say we’re not perfect, and we got to encourage each other. We lifted our voices together for each person, and no one was left out.
Together we gathered in the candle light. My squad and our friends in Thailand. We gathered to remember the gift it is to freely worship, and to remember those who are persecuted for their faith and have to meet in secret. We sang quietly, read stories, and prayed. We prayed for people we had never met. We prayed for different countries. We prayed, knowing that God holds these people and countries in His hands. We prayed remembering the brothers and sisters who suffer so much because they believe Jesus is worth it.
This is the Church. It’s not a building or a list of rules. It’s people. People of all different cultures, languages, and countries. This is the body of Christ. It’s not just a congregation on a Sunday, it’s all people who come together in name of the Lord. We each play a different part. God calls each person to their own unique place, and each person fulfills their own role. Together, we achieve something much bigger than ourselves. When we gather, we fight for each other, in spirit and in truth. We are each different, we struggle in different areas, and we exceed in different places, and because of that we get to stand in the gaps for each other and encourage each other. Where one falls short, another steps in, and when we truly come together it’s incredible. It blows my mind that I would find family across the world in a group a strangers I knew for one night, but this is what the body of Christ does. When everyone stops pretending, and just lives as themselves, they fulfill a role no one else can fulfill. We are all here for a purpose, we all bring something to the table, but in order to see what that is we have to take off the mask, and lean on God for strength in our weakness. This is what the body of Christ is meant to do, and this is what I have seen.
