Pastor’s Corner – May 2021

In the early 20th century, some missionaries in the Philippines set up a croquet game in their front yard. Several of their Agta Negrito neighbors became interested and wanted to join the fun. The missionaries explained the game and started them out, each with a mallet and ball. As the game progressed,  opportunity came for one of the players to take advantage of another by knocking that person’s ball out of the court. A missionary explained the procedure, but his advice only puzzled the Negrito friend. “Why would I want to knock his ball out of the court?” he asked. “So, you will be the one to win!” a missionary said. The short-statured man, clad only in a loincloth, shook his head in bewilderment. Competition is generally ruled out in a hunting and gathering society, where people survive not by competing but by sharing equally in every activity.

The game continued, but no one followed the missionaries’ advice. When a player successfully got through all the wickets, the game was not over for him. He went back and gave aid and advice to his fellows. As the final player moved toward the last wicket, the affair was still very much a team effort. And finally, when the last wicket was played, the “team” shouted happily, “We won! We won!”

That is how the Church, the body of Christ, should be. We’re a team. We all win together.

As a team, we have fought through this pandemic, and continue to celebrate in this community called St Peter United Church of Christ. More people are coming back to worship in person, our Sunday School is back and we are working together on fund raising and other projects.

Soon, we will be bringing in a group of new members, ready to add to our numbers and commit to give and receive care in our community, our team. One person before worship told me he was pleased that we have done well during this trying time. In many ways we have been a model of love, care and support for each other during this pandemic. I cannot be prouder of how we have all pulled together.

Someday, when we all look back at 2020 and beyond, we may see that we survived and thrived, of course with God’s help, but also because we all pulled together as a community, as a team, and as sons and daughters of God, and can proclaim “We Won! We Won!” We saw the Church, the Body of Christ as it should be.

As always, I welcome your response.

Cory