On
the final day of the Fuller Center for Housing Spring BicycleAdventure, I ended up in a paceline with some pretty strong riders.
We had all experienced riding with each other through the week, and
so we decided on the last day to see how we would do all working
together.
We started the day knowing that some of
us were faster riders, and some were not quite as strong. The thing
is, though, that we made this unspoken commitment that we would all
work together.
The way we worked the paceline that day
was for one rider to be in front for a minute or two, with the rest
of us trailing behind that person enjoying the break in headwind
provided by the rider in front of us. After the front rider's minute
or two was done, that person would move to the left, ease up on the
pedals, and drift to the back of the line.
Obviously, when the front person moves
to the back, there's a new front person who spends a minute or two
working harder than the rest of us ~ at which point they move to the
back, and another person takes over the leadership.
That day, each of us didn't spend the
same amount of time in the front of the group. The stronger riders
stayed on the front for a couple minutes at a time, and those of us
who weren't as strong took shorter turns in the lead.
If we'd tried to keep things equal
time-wise, our group would have been slower. Taking longer turns up
front and having less time to rest behind the other riders would have
worn me out and slowed me down much earlier in the day, and therefore
would have slowed the whole group down, especially during those times
when I was up front.
We had ridden together all week, but
the way we rode together earlier in the week didn't matter at all on
that day. I had spent a couple hours one day earlier in the week in
the slipstream of another rider, as I worked to catch up with my dad. I wasn't strong enough that day to catch my dad, and he
was strong enough to help me.
He was able to help me one day, and
later in the week, I didn't have to pay him back. Every day, we
started fresh. Every day, we contributed to the group what we were
able, and received from others what they offered.
***
What if, in the church, we didn't hold
grudges or keep score? What if we didn't worry about who works more
than others, and who seems to just be along for the ride? What if
everyone felt free to contribute to the group what they're able and
to receive from the group what's offered?
When I ride my bike, some days I feel
stronger and some days I feel weaker. Some days I can spend a lot of
time in front, and some days I can't be up there at all. But on the
bike rides, what I did on Friday doesn't matter when Saturday comes
around. We start fresh every day.
What if every day, and every week, and
every month, and every year in the church was brand new? That's the
promise of our baptism (as Lutherans understand it), that we start
new every day. God's promise of grace and mercy and forgiveness is
renewed every day.
When someone asks a Lutheran when they
were saved, they're just as likely to say “Just again this morning”
as they are to say “A little over 2000 years ago” … or that's
what they ought to say, anyway.
There has to be a balance, where we can
encourage those who are stronger, those who have the gifts, to take
greater leadership in the church while at the same time we don't
discourage those who aren't quite as strong from taking their turn up
front.
Sometimes it seems like church
leadership, those who spend the most time and energy on making sure
the congregation is in good shape, see their job as providing a
service for those who 'just show up'. How would church look
different if we were to operate as if we're all in this together?
$0.02
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