brothers and sisters

What does it mean to be a brother or sister in Christ? Is that any different from being the members of the same church.

When my brother Phil and I were kids, I use to beat him up a lot as the older brother. At some point in time when I was in the 8th grade, we just stopped fighting. In the 40 years since then, Phil and I have become very close. Of people in the world I respect, Phil is right at the top. I love to sit and talk with him. He is very accepting and yet challenging all in the same breath. He is involved in a variety of community projects to help other people and travels annually as part of a team to do eye exams and eye surgery either in Haiti, El Salvador or Nicaragua. I imagine if I ever felt the need to seek safety anywhere, it would be with Phil.

I believe a brother or sister in Christ is an even better relationship than the one I have with my biological brother Phil. In truth, we have become brothers in Christ. I think that is why we are so close. He is a lay person and one of the most spiritually focused people I know. His profession is to help the people of Arlington County in Virginia to dispose of their household hazardous waste. But his life is to be a brother, a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Again, that's why we are close. No biology or even 17 years of sharing the same bedroom could have led to this. As we have each sought to grow in Christ, we have become closer to one another...even though that wasn't our specific goal.

I think some folks work too hard at being friends in church life. The "oughts and shoulds" of the church communal life become so restrictive that people become frustrated with one another when they don't feel that they are as close as they think they should be in "in church."

It is when we let go of trying and allow God to grow us that our relationships with others in the Body become real and true. This is the heart of spiritual discipline. Growing with God as God grows us in love with humanity. Strange way to do it, but it seems to be the only way it works. Jesus says to us over and over again..."lose your life for my sake." Whether it is done in some immediate life experience or whether it comes after many moments culminating in one's life, it still means making a choice after the experiences are unfolding. Will I lose my life for Christ's sake? Then, I will become a brother and sister in Christ!

david@loar.org
Loar family web site