Nurturing a life is hard. The nine months in the womb is just the beginning. Once a child is born, he has to be fed (at first, every two hours night and day), burped, changed, bathed, and loved. It takes a herculean effort not just from the mum, but from everyone around who is supporting that new life.
Such has been the case for us; Roy has been settling the baby at 4 am, my dad has been taking care of Micah all day and even in the middle of the night, my mum has rarely left the kitchen since she arrived in Melbourne, and my sister has changed more nappies than she can count. Not to mention the midwives, nurses, doctors, and staff at the hospital and council that make sure that Joshua is healthy and thriving. It takes a village to raise a child.
Nurturing a spiritual life also takes a community. Peter writes to churches, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2,3 NIV). Those who desire to grow in faith and experience need a community who can provide the support needed for the believer to get enough of that spiritual milk. That community consists of those who are able to teach the Bible, extend hospitality and love, share spiritual discernment, proclaim the Word, and help in various ways.
Church attendance is important not only for the opportunity to worship, but also for the opportunity to belong to that community of support. As we learn to trust and lean on each other (for prayer, friendship, partnership in ministry, etc.) we become the body of Christ:
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV).
Even though I am sleep deprived, sore, and unfit for public eyes, I am so happy to see Joshua growing – and proud that I am contributing to his amazing 1-kilo weight gain since birth. I am so grateful for all those around me who are helping to shape Joshua’s present and future health and happiness; I could not do it without them.
Imagine the joy we will experience when we witness the growth of new believers and realise that we are part of the community who persevered together to make that happen. Imagine the thrill of having a new sister or brother in Christ. Imagine the love we will share as our church family grows in number and in strength as each of us does our part.