I know! What a wild and crazy concept! But this quarter, instead of working from a study guide that is someone else's interpretation of the Christian life manual, we're reading through the New Testament together and pulling apart passages many of us know practically by heart.
It's astonishing how often we find a passage that, in spite of our familiarity with the words, seems to be something we never knew before. Last night, for example, we noted how Luke listed the group traveling with Jesus during His ministry. In addition to the apostles, Jesus is accompanied by Joanna, Susanna, Mary Magdalene, and several other women.We envisioned them cooking and cleaning for the entourage, sewing up worn clothes and making sure everyone was carrying a water bottle.
"Jesus had roadies!" R said. "I can be a roadie for Jesus!"
She laughed when she said it, and I'm sure she meant for us to laugh, too, because the thought of R as one of those muscular young men who set up venues for rock bands was laughable: She's in the mid-stage of a valiant battle against muscular dystrophy, and even cutting an apple for her lunch is a struggle.
But then I thought about what Jesus requires of those of us who are working for Him: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God. He wants us to WALK with Him, and because what she can do physically has been limited by her disease, R's walk with God is constant and consuming but not physical. "We talk to each other all the time," she says. She is the person all of us think of first when we have a special prayer request and need someone to stand beside us.
That made me think of other Jesus roadies I know--the ones who deliver Meals on Wheels, the ones who write encouraging notes, the ones who lead singing or sit in the nursery so parents can attend worship. This is a mighty big concert, and it needs all kinds of workers.
We all can be roadies for Jesus.
