Running Thoughts

This weekend I went to a middle school track meet to see a young friend run. It’s the first track meet that I’ve been to in more than twenty years. During the first couple races I found myself getting emotional, not from nostalgia, but because of the group experience of cheering on those on our team. There’s something strengthening for runners and spectators alike to know that you’re not out there alone and others want to encourage you to do your best. (Perhaps that’s one reason I always did better at track than cross country, where spectators are few and far between.)

That idea was mentioned more than once in our church gatherings Sunday morning—we need each other. I think sometimes we take our church family for granted. We assume that people know we love them. We assume they will call us if they need something. Or we assume that others are busy with their own concerns and we should keep our problems to ourselves. But we need each other far more than we know. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us,

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and since which clings to closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

I think nearly every sermon I’ve heard on this verse has referred solely to the “Hall of Faith” in chapter 11 as that cloud of witnesses. But I’m increasingly convinced that it includes every Christian—and perhaps especially the ones sitting in the next pew on Sunday morning. We need cheerleaders in all the races of life, not just the stories of those who have already finished the race. Biographies may bring a bit of encouragement, but they can only go so far in spurring us to keep running when there are more hurdles than we’re prepared for.

During the track meet, the Piedmont coach was frequently heard yelling, “Don’t quit! Don’t give up! Keep going!” And he didn’t limit his cheers to his own team, but shared his energy with all the kids. Sometimes church members can get tunnel vision and think that our church’s “team” is the only one that matters, forgetting that every Christian is on the same team. We are all running for the same finish line, and we can all cheer one another on regardless of our differences of opinion on secondary issues.

For various reasons (some of which I don’t understand) I’ve needed some cheerleaders lately. It helps to be reminded that others see me, care for me, and pray for me. They may not take away any of the hurdles, but they can put a little more spring in the next step and a little more oxygen in the next breath. And I know I’m not the only one who’s feeling the strain of life in a busy and fallen world. We could all use a regular pep talk to help us keep running and “holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” (Phil. 2:16).

May we all be those who are heard yelling to one another, “Don’t quit! Don’t give up! Keep going! You can make it!”

“For it is You who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:28-29).

© 2022 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

The Ministry of Presence

The industrial age began around 1760 and brought with it increasingly faster modes of transportation. The steam engine was patented in 1769. The Wright brothers took flight in 1903. Cars became increasingly common through the twentieth century. Now you can be anywhere in the world in a matter of hours. As speed has increased and the population has become more mobile, the connectedness of communities has waned. Front porches have been replaced by fenced back yards. Now with the information age, physical presence has been replaced by screens. Community dances and picnics have been replaced by home entertainment systems and Netflix. Sharing a meal with friends has been replaced by Facebook pictures of your meal (a trend that I will never understand!).

Through COVID shutdowns many workers found they can do their work remotely, but even tech businesses have discovered that being in the same building matters. “Management by walking around” is a necessary part of working together as a team for a common purpose.

Although church livestreaming was helpful during the pandemic, many Christians (but not all) have discovered that physical presence matters to the Body of Christ. We need real eye contact, handshakes, and hugs. We need to hear others singing in worship with us and to hear the pages of Bibles turning. We need to join together in communion and bow together in prayer at the altar.

But even with all the regularly scheduled gatherings of the church, I’m not sure that is enough for deep discipleship and spiritual intimacy between members of the Body. Jesus spent three years with His disciples doing nearly everything together 24-7. Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke went on a variety of long trips in pairs or trios. Acts 2:46 says the early believers were “day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes.” Does that kind of time investment only apply to people who have nowhere else to go and no way to get there? Can a phone call or Zoom meeting take the place of walking with one another and observing one another in action day by day? Can a couple hours per week at church suffice? We need extended, unstructured times to converse and find out what is happening behind the scenes of our carefully cultivated appearances.

In the midst of writing this, I paused and read a few pages of the closest book on my desk, which happened to be Erik Reynold’s book Discover: Ancient Truths for Today. He wrote:

“How great and gracious is our God? He gives us one another to spur us on in the faith. He knows that the life to which He has called us is difficult… What’s God’s plan when we start acting sideways? He’s given us brothers in Christ to tenderly reveal our sin and lovingly point us to the Gospel. What’s God’s plan when we are discouraged because of a tragic life circumstance? He’s given us sisters in Christ to pray with and point us to the hope we have in Christ Jesus. What’s God’s plan when we realize how weak we are? He’s given us brothers in Christ to remind us that our weakness is a gift so that we will be more apt to rely upon the Holy Spirit who indwells us” (39).

God has given us one another for a purpose, and yet our relationships within the church are often one of the most neglected blessings He’s given. I can’t count how many times my spirits have been lifted by a brief conversation with a brother in Christ when we cross paths at the end of my daily run, or when a coworker pauses at my office door to talk. I’ve been pondering—if I worked in a secular job and didn’t live across the road from my church, where would I find those regular tastes of the ministry of presence? I would be on a starvation diet of Christian relationships from Monday through Saturday every week. Would professional Christian counselors have any clients if the church were living up to all the “one anothers” of Scripture? We were made to live in community, but it seems like we’ve gotten about as far from that as we can and still call ourselves one Body.

May God reunite us so that we might better “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thess. 5:11).

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (1 Pet. 3:8).

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© 2022 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.