With or without me

I'm someone who has never really failed at anything. I failed only one class in my whole life. It was high school Calculus, and I failed because I took a nap every day during class. I actually had a passing average going into the final exam, but USA network was showing a Magnum PI marathon the day before the final and I watched that all day instead of studying. Other than that one class, I've never really failed at anything. So when I look around The River and see fewer folks than I would like, I get nervous (even though I have no clue how many people it would take for me to not be nervous). That nervousness can be a good thing because it motivates me. It can be a bad thing because it can make me forget who is really doing the work of transforming lives. This week, I got a powerful reminder that God is actually doing that work. Even more, I saw that God is going to do it with or without me.

What happened is simple: I learned that one of the Clusters that is part of The River became a 'Cluster' before they'd ever heard of The River. They became a cluster before we'd ever met. They became a Cluster before they even knew what a Cluster was. They became a Cluster by following along where they thought God was leading them, and in so doing they discovered for themselves this powerful new way of being God's people. In fact, I've learned more about Clusters from them than they have from me.

God is doing something new in the world. God is showing people a different way of being community, a new way of being church. God is at work, and that work is bigger than me. It's bigger than The River. Instead of being the one to make it happen, I'm merely blessed to be part of it. It's not about whether or not I fail. All I have to do is stay awake, not watch Magnum PI all day, and get on board with what God is doing. Because God is doing it, not me, and God is going to do it with or without me. I'm just blessed to be one small drop in the gigantic river that is God 's work in the world.