This is why I go to church.

When I was in high school, I occasionally crossed paths with a guy named Chris. He graduated before my 9th grade year, and I'm not sure we ever spoke to each other, but he was still on my radar screen for a few reasons: I dated two friends of his (at different times), including his brother's best friend. That same brother was in my graduating class. And, perhaps most importantly, Chris played in a band that had real gigs from time to time, which made him a rock star by high school standards.

I always found Chris rather intimidating. In addition to the whole "rock star" thing, he was a big guy with long hair and a beard, making him appear older and cooler than anyone else close to my age. Whenever he was around, I let our mutual friends (aka: the brother and the two boyfriends) do the talking.

After every encounter with Chris, my friends and I would have the same conversation. Someone in the group- in a tone of disbelief- would say "Do you know that guy's a Christian? Like, a serious Christian." With our limited high school worldviews, it was hard to reconcile "long-haired rock band guy" with "goes to church every Sunday." At that time, I was questioning my Christian upbringing, and my friends had flat-out rejected all religion. In fact, most of them had some pretty harsh words for anyone who professed religious beliefs. They made an exception for Chris, though. They talked about his Christianity with some disbelief, but never scorn. Chris had the "older and cooler" factor working for him, and he was always very secure in his beliefs, which made him hard to criticize.

Intimidation aside, none of us could ever resist making the joke that Chris followed Jesus as both savior and fashion icon. He was working the heavy metal prophet look, as seen above.

Fast-forward far too many years to 2009. I looked up the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church on Facebook and who did I find? Chris. Not surprisingly, the hair and beard are shorter and he's called Pastor Chris now. I sent him a message and let him in on the shocking news that our high school churned out two United Methodist seminary grads in the space of a few years. Ever since, I've been following his ministry on Facebook and his blog.

Last week, I saw this post, in which Chris talks about his recent decision to donate a kidney to a member of his church who needs a transplant. The two of them had their surgeries today and, as far as I know, are doing well. Giving up a vital organ for somone else- particularly someone who is not a spouse or blood relative- is an amazing gift. Chris is risking his own life and health to save another person. He's undergoing surgery, and all the pain and recovery that will follow. He even lost 50 pounds in order to be healthy enough for the procedure!  Its an unbeliveable sacrifice... and yet, no less than I would expect from him. Just like when we were in high school, Chris doesn't make a big fuss about being a Christian. He just goes about his days, pursuing the things he loves, but always, in his humble way, following Jesus.

Reading Chris' story reminds me why I believe that being part of a church or other community is essential to being a Christian. Church is where we learn to live out the radical, life-altering belief that all human beings are part of one family. For Chris, giving up a kidney for a fellow church member is no different than giving it up for a member of his biological family or for a close friend. One could argue that a fellow church member is a close friend, but I don't believe they are the same thing. With my friends, I share a long history of common experiences, shared interests, and shared beliefs. In my church, there are some members with whom I share common beliefs and experiences, but there are many more who I barely know and some with whom I passionately disagree. Yet, our shared faith calls us to be together as one family, working through our differences and sacrificing for one another whenever we have the opportunity. Its easy to be generous and giving to my family and friends. It can be hard work to do the same for my church community, but doing that work is what pushes me to be the person I feel called to be. If I can learn to do it in the church, then I can do it in the rest of the world too.

So, I know you hate to hear it, but thanks for setting an example all these years, Chris. The next time our paths cross, I'll actually speak to you.