Together

There’s a Peanuts cartoon where Lucy demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over? Asks Linus. “These five fingers,’ says Lucy. “Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.” What channel do you want?” asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”

The church is like that in a sense. Individually we have gifts – there are small things each of us can do to show God’s love. But together, our small actions add up! When we get organized, our time and money and energy multiply.  Together, we form not a weapon to inflict damage, but an instrument of God’s healing and redemption and peace.

Let us pray: Loving God, we want to be healthy and whole.  We want to live deeply in tune with you and your people. And, we want to use the gifts you have given us to make this world a better place. So we give our lives to you again this day. Show us how we can serve you as individuals and as a community of faith. We pray today especially for those who are hurting deeply. Bind up their wounds and restore their body, mind, and soul. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.