THE VALUE OF ONE

Our session sent two overtures to the Presbytery meeting held February 9 in Fall River, MA. Both were requests that the Presbytery send an overture to the General Assembly to change the constitution of our denomination to make it more welcoming to GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) people. Both were defeated, one on a tie vote. If only ONE more supportive person had made the long trip to Fall River, or ONE more supportive person who did attend had stayed until the overtures were voted on instead of leaving at the lunch break the motion would have passed. Why didn’t it happen?

I think in our mass society people have come to think of themselves as unimportant. What difference would my ONE more vote make? It is the same reason people do not go to the polls for elections. Only a few more Democratic voters voting in Florida (without hanging chads) would have changed the course of the 2000 election, perhaps would prevented U.S. intervention in Iraq, and prevented all of the injuries and deaths suffered by our armed forces and the people of Iraq. How can we believe that our ONE vote is unimportant?

We think my ONE can of beans, my ONE can of baby formula, my ONE pound of rice doesn’t matter when the food pantry hands out tons of food each year, but ONE can or ONE pound is very important to the ONE person who receives that food to feed her family.

An important message of the Gospel is that every ONE was important to Jesus. He did preach and teach crowds, but he also took time to meet and teach individuals, to touch and heal individuals. There is no indication that Jesus ever did mass healings, he always dealt with people ONE by ONE, in most cases laying his hands on individuals in need. Nicodemus was ONE person, the woman at the well was ONE person, and the man born blind was a single individual. When he dealt with the family in Bethany he met with Martha individually, then he talked personally to Mary, then he went to the grave yard and called Lazarus by name. If he had only called: “come out!” every grave in the cemetery might have erupted; he cried “Lazarus, come out!” When he was raised he first met with ONE woman, Mary, in the grave yard. ONE disciple, Thomas, was missing when Jesus appeared to them in the upper room. He came back to the upper room the next first day to meet with the ONE doubter.

Jesus is the good shepherd who goes out in the night to seek the ONE sheep that is lost, and seeks until he finds the ONE missing sheep. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world, and then goes on to speak of whosoever, what ever ONE individual, believes in his shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Every ONE of our church members is important, not just the largest givers, not just the officers, not just the most involved members, but every ONE is important. Every ONE’S opinion is important, not just the opinions of those in the majority.

God loves every ONE of us with an everlasting love. God loves you with an everlasting love. If you were the only person in the world in need of salvation Jesus would have lived and died and risen again for you. Every ONE matters, every vote counts, the family of God is not complete when ONE is missing or unwelcomed or unincluded.

Yours in Love
Pastor Terry