Interdependent

In a move that probably surprises no one, I've already finished my first book of 2018 and started reading the second. That first book, a sci-fi novel and the first in a new series, features a rather unique system of government for a galactic empire. They call it "The Interdependency." The idea is that every human world must rely on each of the others in order to survive. One planet grows fruit, another makes plastics, another handles freight shipping, etc., but nobody does two things. They're forced to be dependent upon each other simply to exist.

Such a model flies in the face of our American ethos. We value being independent above all else; the very idea of being interdependent, of having to rely upon others, upsets us. It means we're not self-sufficient, that we couldn't pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, and all those other fun American phrases. That may be all well and good for a nation (although I hesitate a bit on that score, too), but it's a terrible way to be a church.

We're in 2018 now, and we've been given a brand new year. Nothing is yet set in stone; now is the time to plan and to get ready for what we'll do for the rest of the year. But if we approach 2018 as independent people who just happen to worship together, what will we accomplish? If every statement we utter begins, "I want," where will we be twelve months from now? We can't let our our own wants and desires rule the church -- any part of the church, not even the pew in which we sit each week. Instead we look for the will of God, the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Instead of "I want," it should be, "This is what God wants for our church."

With that attitude, we come to rely more upon each other as well as upon God, for none of us can do it all alone. We learn the value of being interdependent, a true community, a family of believers -- just as God intended. And then we can have the best year RSCC has ever seen.