You were called to belong, not just believe! Remember, God said it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18).

You are a member of Christ's body and you have a vital role to play in your local church. You are a church attender, aren't you? I hope so. The church needs you for God has given a ministry for every believer. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, "The manifestation of Spirit is given to each one for profit of all."

There are a lot of Christians who do not attend church because of various excuses. The biggest excuse I hear is, "There are too many hipocrits in church." Well, that may be true, but they are in right place. The local church should be considered a hospital for sinners, or a classroom for learning.

I believe most of excuses I hear come from people who are in a self-centered state of mind. We have got to understand that we must be as committed to each other as we are to Jesus. After all, He expects us to give our lives for each other. 1 John 3:16 says, "Jesus laid down His life for us and we are to lay down our lives for our brothers."

Connecting Pope John Paul II and Bob Seger

No one ever asked Pope, back when he visited us here in Chicago first in 1979, to climb on a motorcycle and with white robes flying, ruddy face beaming, waving and genuflecting to crowd; chug proud, loud and smiling on up Milwaukee Avenue.

Bob Seger in background as The Pope climbs up on Harley:

“Took a look down a westbound road Right away I made my choice”

No one asked Pope. But if they had, and if it would have helped church: I am betting that this smiling Polish holy man, back in 1979 bounding off plane at O’Hare, bending down to kiss ground, this flowing bundle of good will who visited more countries than any other Pope in history---I’m betting he would have hopped right on that Harley.

Bob Seger taking off into high plains and Pope taking same kind of journey, but his is straight into hearts of city. Straight northwest up Milwaukee Avenue, as people start gathering and cheers start cascading across sidewalks on a warm summer afternoon. Folks streaming out of shops to see that beaming man on motorcycle come to say hello.

If you’re young, if you’re poor, if you are struggling: you understand.

An actor on world stage they’d call him when he passed. But back in Chicago in 1979 he was still Priest from Poland who made Communist party functionaries tremble---not from politics: but from his faith. At beginning of his time as Pope, he came to Chicago. There could not have been a more stark contrast to imperial nature of Chicago’s John Cardinal Cody. 1979, Pope from Poland, well he just might have got on that motorcycle. Maybe have some pirogue? Maybe some kielbasa, some ham and some sausage? There would be friends who knew him in from South Bend and St. Louis, back when he was just Karol. There would always be friends. The community. To keep church going we would eat together.

Such hopeful times. And here he was! Not just with millions in Grant Park, but here he was on back of that motorcycle. Right here on Milwaukee Avenue! Giving voice to so many who were different. So many who were confused:

Roll, roll me away, Won’t you roll me away tonight! I too am lost, I feel double-crossed I’m sick of what’s wrong and what’s right.

A Pope who gave shape and color to words “social justice.” Giving voice to poor, sick, folks on outskirts---way, way far from that million dollar Cardinal’s mansion in by Lake. A peoples Pope! And that was new.

Like Bob Seger sang:

Take away my inhibitions Take away my solitude Fire me up with your resistance Put me in mood Storm walls around this prison Leave inmates Free guards Deal me up another future From some brand new deck of cards.

Right there on Milwaukee Avenue, with scent of fresh baked Polish rye bread sweetening air and giving all those inside this Christian colony of proud people a way to say: “Ok. . .maybe after a few years we are making it---maybe we are not so poor-- maybe God has given us this day our daily bread!

See rich man lost and lonely Watch him as he dines Sitting there just testing all wines

Sure, even then there were “money changers” camped out in temple. But they had yet to set up shop on steps outside, charging corporate membership rates backed up by rendition campaigns of American secret police, wars for oil and power, trampling of human rights, ignoring earth that we steward and finally bowing our heads to all powerful “talking points” of propaganda machine that twisted a moral fundamentalism into a market fundamentalism.