Merge

As we continued our journey down Jesus Road in our U-Turns Allowed message series, we explored the concept of merge. Imagine you are traveling on I-285 and are trying to merge onto GA-400. If you have ever traveled this stretch, you know that you enter GA-400 via a clover leaf-type entrance ramp that slows your speed. What makes this tricky, though, is you are merging into the left lane (or fast lane, as some call it) of traffic. This is a pretty precarious traffic pattern to be sure, because people traveling north on GA-400 are traveling interstate speeds and you have to merge into them from a reduced speed. Making this kind of merge requires you to be conscious of your speed versus the speed of oncoming traffic, the proximity of cars heading your way, cars in other lanes that might be trying to out-maneuver others, and of course vehicles or other potential hazards ahead of you. It is pretty nerve-wracking driving if you ask me! Perhaps the best news, though, is everyone is traveling in the same direction, so you do not have to worry about oncoming traffic.

Considering merging on the highway, we can also see a metaphor for merging into the Body of Christ for our spiritual journey. It can be easy for some who have been on Jesus Road for a long time to forget that we are not all merging at the same place or at the same pace. This can be frustrating for some, but no more so for the ones trying to merge onto Jesus Road. Think about it…in churches we have our own nifty ways of doing things, terminology to describe it, and thousands of years of history and tradition to support it. For someone who is just beginning their journey, however, this knowledge might seem intimidating and foreign. So when those of us who have been on Jesus Road for a while see others who are looking to follow the Lord’s lead to merge onto Jesus Road, it is incumbent upon us to make sure we are conscientious and compassionate so we can help them cultivate what God is doing in their lives. 

In Romans 15.1-13, the Apostle Paul gives some great insight and advice for how to help others merge. At the beginning of this passage, we read Paul say, “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’” If we apply this to our traveling metaphor, those who are strong and established in their faith need to look for ways to be intentional about helping others merge onto Jesus Road. This means slowing our own pace down at times, waving people into our proverbial lane ahead of us, and keeping our eyes peeled for potential hazards that lie ahead. We simply cannot expect everyone to be at the same place, or going the same pace, as we might be as we travel down the road. This is one of the surest ways to tell people they are not welcome on Jesus Road.

In Romans 15.12, Paul uses the musical term, harmony, to describe the way we think about our spiritual journeys with others. When we listen to our favorite choir or music group, what makes the song so beautiful and dynamic is everyone doing their own part to add to the overall experience of the moment. Not everyone is singing the same notes or even playing the same instruments at the same time. We often talk about unity (or unison in music) but this can only be so dynamic! What makes it complex, beautiful, and interesting is to see and hear how each person brings his or her own unique contribution to the piece, and then seeing how it all unfolds. This harmony – each and every one doing his or her own part – is what brings beauty and life to the various notes and squiggles on the page.

The same needs to be true for our journey down Jesus Road. We need to welcome those who are in different places and going different paces, but seek to join the same road to reach the same destination – Jesus! When we allow our lives to be used to help others merge onto Jesus Road, bringing their unique and individual contributions to this complex world, then we will find our own lives joining into the anthem of heaven and singing praises and glory to God!