No Lone Rangers

When I was a young child, my siblings and I inherited a variety of toys. Coming from a large extended family with lots of older cousins, we would often get toys that were slightly used, but just as fun to play with. We got everything from vintage G.I. Joe and Japanese B-movie monsters (thanks Orlandito!) to a large crossbow with a quiver full of target, hunting, and even fishing bolts (thanks Roger!). It didn’t come with a bowstring, but we were resourceful beyond our tender years. By taking several lengths of heavy twine and “braiding” it with a bunch of knots, we crafted a suitable (if not unspeakably dangerous) substitute. We were terrorizing wooden boards all around our backyard in no time!

At one point early on, we got a Lone Ranger action figure along with his horse Silver. To the best of my knowledge, it was a rare complete find. You could outfit Silver with a vinyl saddle and riding tack. Both horse and rider had clumsy joints, but you could position them pretty much any way you felt like. I remember Silver being plastic, but his mane and tail being hard rubber. “Hi Yo Silver Away!”

The origins of the Lone Ranger (not to be confused with Sherriff Woody Pride of “Toy Story” fame) are varied but similar. Here’s an abridged version: The Lone Ranger was originally part of a team of Texas Rangers who were killed in an ambush set up by outlaws. A wandering Apache named Tonto found one ranger still alive and nursed him back to health. Vowing to fight for truth, justice and the American…oh, wait that’s Superman -- Anyways, the Lone Ranger vowed to fight for justice and help people.

Funny thing is…the Lone Ranger wasn’t really “lone”. He had his sidekick beside him to share adventures and to help people wherever they went. His focus was the settlement of the West and its transformation away from a lawless, vacant frontier.

For many years, our culture has put a premium on the idea that everyone should be able to “pull himself up by his own bootstraps”. We glamorize those who face seemingly impossible odds and do great deeds on their own.

Why?

Isolation was not the Creator’s intent. We were designed to live in community. It is through community that we share life’s ups and downs. Don’t you feel like you can share more over a cup of coffee than by writing or reading an email? Isn’t a long walk with a friend better therapy than reading the latest “self-help” guide?

Too many followers of Jesus have decided to walk a dusty trail alone. Too many people try to substitute discipleship alongside other seekers by only reading the Bible and the latest books about God. They miss something special. The church is a remarkable organism; it needs its members as much as its members need it to live out their mutually supportive purposes.

This is reinforced in part four of our vision, which goes as follows:

No Lone Rangers are allowed here. We were created to live in community with God as well as each other. We want to be like Jesus so we take hold of His identity and allow Him to wrap His life around us, above us, beneath us, yes, even within us. We recognize that truly following Jesus is a process that does not come from just reading the latest books and taking a bunch of classes. Rather, we learn His ways as we serve others and walk with those on the Journey. The Way of Jesus is caught more than it's taught. As we follow Jesus, we begin to see changes that we couldn't bring about in ourselves. Miracles happen. We become more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, and self-controlled. We choose a lifestyle of purity because it's how we were designed to live and who we are called to be.

Who do you walk with and why?

Joe

Related Verses
Hebrews 10:24-25
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

NLTse