You Are Somebody!

"Crowd"
CC BY 2.0 by Oatsy40 Source: Flickr

     Each and every one of us is somebody: and this is good news. This is an affirmation of being named and claimed by god in our baptism; it's the confidence of being a member of God's family, an heir and a citizen of God's Kingdom. In that context, we delight that we are all SOMEBODY! It matters!

     But there's more to this statement that a mere confidence-booster. There is also a role of responsibility and accountability.

     Several times this week, I heard people commenting about a situation they found distasteful, or hurtful, or heartbreaking. And each time, the comment was made: Somebody should do something!

     I can understand how easy it is to get caught up in the despair. When we get caught up in the incessant news cycle of fear-mongering and hate-spewing, the world can seem far too overwhelming for us. If we could just hide out in a blanket fort of blissful ignorance, I think many of us would like to.

     Yet: we know better. We know that something needs to be done. And so we lament, from a distance, that SOMEBODY should do SOMETHING!

     I wonder what would happen if we challenged ourselves to take action, even in some small way. Even if things don't change the way that we want them to, we would know that we have made an effort.

     If somebody should do something about injustices to indigenous peoples, maybe we need to write our MPPs and MPs about Bill C-262.

     If somebody should do something about the climate crisis, maybe we need to be intentional about our consumer habits.

     If somebody should do something about neighbourhood kids misbehaving, maybe we need to ensure there are safe and affordable local programmes and spaces for our youth.

     If somebody should do something about the empty pews in the church, maybe we need to invite our friends to worship, and evangelize with our family and friends.

     The possibilities are endless: we are not meant to wait for an anonymous 'somebody' to fix all the problems of the world, we are meant to engage with the world with love and compassion. Jesus sent his disciples out to spread a message of community and relationship and grace: and we are called to heed that same message.

     So it is true: as the world is experiencing challenges, somebody should do something! Let's look in the mirror and see that somebody is us.