He is one of our favorite heroes from Saturday afternoon matinees. I watched him on Saturday T.V. with only a casual interest. I think I was more intrigued by his “man Friday”, Tonto. This is how “Kemo Sabe” came into folklore. I have been known to call good friends, Navy shipmates “Kemo Sabe”. It’s like a badge of honor. It’s a name Danny could use for Steve McGarret on “Hawaii Five-Oh”; Robin for Batman; any of Lenny Briscoe’s partners for Lenny on “Law & Order”. You get the idea.

Sometimes as a pastor I wish I had a “Tonto” to call me “Kemo Sabe”. It can be a lonely vocation. Thanks be to God I do have good friends, fellow pastoral colleagues and mentors who know how to bolster my spirits and courage. There can be no free agents, no lone rangers, in ministry. To try is to be at risk for falling apart, completely caving under pressure. Curled up in the proverbial fetal position.  It is nearly impossible to keep promises, be compassionate, be a “Wounded Healer”, a Servant/Leader without support from others experiencing the same calling. I am grateful and blessed for my church family at Joy. They understand. They see it in me when I’m going through a rough patch.

We cannot dis-engage ourselves from the fray. Jesus taught us this. Take time for alone time with our Heavenly Father. Drink in that spiritual refreshment that is vital for our well-being. Then, by His strength, we can return from our pause to suffer with His children the dilemmas and trials of life. The second through fifth chapters of Acts describe how it was for new Christians right out of the starting gate. Think of the Lone Ranger, firing his pistol, Silvers front legs going up in the air as our “masked marvel” yells “Hi-Ho, Silver and away”! Nothing in God’s kingdom gets done without the priesthood of all believers. Pastors learn, sometimes through bitter struggle, that they can’t, nor are they meant to, do it all themselves. Too often I have been guilty of not letting our amazing volunteers do more. I feel that I put too much on them. After all, this is my job. How silly and utterly nonsensical! The first disciples immediately got a whole bunch of “Tontos” to carry out some of the heavy lifting so that they could function more effectively.

Our calling in Holy Baptism marks us all with the cross of Christ and the seal of the Holy Spirit. This irrevocable covenant that God makes with us gives us the power to endure suffering as His beloved children. We exist as a fellowship, a community, a colony in the world that sometimes seems so relentless and unforgiving. We need each other, even if that need is shared from one computer tablet to another during these weird times. It is especially now that we cannot be lone rangers. The One who brought us to this adventure will see it to successful completion, immersed in His unconditional love.

Read Acts 2-5

Pastor Art