If we are friends on Facebook then you will already know that Matt and I spent time in Disney World last week. It was healing and inspiring.
Disney World was always our family vacation, but we had not returned since Rhonda’s died almost 3 years ago. Honestly, I didn’t even realize how important it was for Matt and me to go back to Disney, tie up some emotional loose ends and begin making new memories. In that way it was healing.
While Disney World is not the vacation I would choose for myself, it remains a trip that I enjoy vicariously through Matt’s enjoyment. The truth is, we likely only have a few more years before Mickey Mouse looses some of his magic so I am thrilled to enjoy it while I can. Having said that, I should say that I find Disney World truly inspiring. Remember, there was a time when “Walt Disney” was merely a man’s name.
Walking around the parks I found several posters with quotes from Walt. Each quote shared a nugget of truth that, when tweaked a bit, applies directly to our life together as a church family. Here’s the first one:
When we launched into our new church building and community ministry center we began by saying, “We are not building it for ourselves but for the people who aren’t here yet.” In other words, we are beginning a new chapter in the ministry of our congregation; a new chapter in a new place. Bringing glory to God by preaching The Good News of Jesus to all people is at the heart of everything we do. In one sense we exist for the sake of others.
If I could take a bit of license with Walt’s quote I would change it to say, “You don’t build it for yourself. You know what the people NEED and you build it for them.”
We must hold this value deeply and keep it out in front of everything we do, every decision we make and every act of service we do. This value is not for the weak or the faint of heart, neither is it for the immature or selfish. Truly existing for the sake of the needs of the community around us will demand Christian grace and maturity. From time to time we will find ourselves saying things like, “I don’t like it, but I like what it does.” In other words, “I don’t prefer this program or that approach but I like that it meets the needs of our community.”
St. Paul was the greatest missionary of all time and I think this is what he had in mind when he said,
“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
And there it is. There is the key to prizing the needs of others. Paul says that everything he does is “for the sake of the gospel, that [he] may share with them in its blessings.”
Further, Paul finishes this thought with a reflection on his own ministry. He likens this kind of self-sacrificing, others-preferring lifestyle to running a long-distance race. In other words, it is not easy. Valuing what others need over our own preference is demanding and requires that we keep our eye on the finish line. Paul said,
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Remember, we are not building for ourselves. We are building for the needs of our community.
Everything we do must be shaped to address the greatest need of our community, namely every person’s need for the gospel, that is the good news of Jesus.
