They said, "I can't believe you actually came."

     In the past week, I went to two church friends’ ‘Physics Poster Presentations.’ I don’t know if the events are really called that. I study English and my knowledge of physics is like a toddler’s understanding of walking; and yet I found myself (with some other church members) hearing a fascinating explanation of Feynman’s path integral theory. I came away feeling a wee bit smarter, but what struck me most was that my Physics friends said, ‘I can’t believe you actually came.’ Well, technically, only one of them said this. But I figure it’s safe for me to make the assumption that my other friend was thinking along the same lines.

     Right, so what was an English student doing at a physics event? I can honestly say that it is more than just pure interest. That is certainly a contributing factor, but I know that the deciding factor that made me go was because they were my brother and sister in Christ.

     Should it be surprising for a Christian to go out of his/her way to support a fellow Christian in the things they are involved in, big or small? I suppose not. In fact, I think it should be surprising if we don’t do that. Christianity claims to completely transform relationships and communities. One of its main characteristics is a self-sacrificial other-person-centeredness. In my church Bible study, we’re going through 1 Corinthians and one of Paul’s major concerns from chapters 8-14 is that we act for the good of the other person. This applies to using knowledge (chap. 8), employing our Christian rights (chap. 9-10), eating the Lord’s Supper (chap. 11), and corporate worship (chap. 12-14).

     Our age is one which idolises the individual and the Bible speaks against this subtle form of self-worship. Paul doesn’t teach that we don’t take care of ourselves; he says the other (whether Christian or non-Christian) is more important than us. And the motivation for such self-sacrificial living is the gospel – where Jesus gave up his life for undeserving rebels.

     We are not asked to give up our lives to save another person from sin – thankfully –but we are called to be proactive in seeking the good of others. Matt Perman in “What’s Best Next” suggests that a core purpose for the Christian is ‘to do all the good I possibly can, for as many people as I possibly can, as often as I possibly can, in all spheres of life, regardless of whatever difficulties I meet with, and to do this to the glory of God through Jesus Christ’ (p. 163). In this instance of going to a Christian friend’s ‘Physics poster presentation,’ it doesn’t seem terribly significant, but I think our willingness to give up time – precious time – which I could have used to study or ‘do my own thing’ for ‘small’ things trains us to make sacrificially serving others a habit.

     Is this really important though? My going or not doesn’t seem to have any tangible effects on the other person. But I’m sure they would be encouraged; I’m sure they would appreciate it. Who doesn’t like talking about something they worked hard for to a willing audience? I think this is a good work, because we are showing a genuine interest in the other person’s life. We’re saying, ‘I’m not an expert on this subject, neither am I passionate about it. But because you are my brother or sister in Christ, I will choose to be interested in what you are interested about. We might not gain any benefit from showing interest – but when has Christian relationships ever been about benefiting the self first?

     Seeing my friends smile and be surprised when they see you is great. It reminds me of grace – in this case doing something nice for someone not expecting it – and points me to God’s greater grace, where “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

     There will always be times when I'll place myself before others, but I want to be intentional in relating to others. So when I make decisions about spending time for people, this (I hope) will inform my choice: I will give; I will serve; I will come if that shows the other person that one more Christian cares, because God first gave; Christ first served; Christ first came, and I’m a grace case.