Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor/theologian who was executed by Adolph Hitler for participating in a plot to kill the Führer. In a biography of his life, he describes Christ as a man “for others.” Then he reminds us that the church, as the body of Christ on earth, is a community in which Christ dwells and like Christ himself, exists “for others.” In other words, we are not here for the comfort and well-being of our own members but to serve others outside the church as Christ did.
Actor Denzel Washington is an embodiment of this. He uses his influence to promote the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. His father worked three jobs when he was growing up and had little time for his son. Denzel found safety as well as good mentors in the Boys and Girls Club in his community. So, he devotes himself to giving back to it.
We need to do the same. As Jesus was “a man for others,” so we who are his church need to live for others. We all have something to give: time, money, patience, knowledge. Remember the words of Jesus, “For as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these, you have done it unto me.”