Let me begin with the assumption that you weren’t born a koala.
If you were, these are some of the things that you might notice, and others might notice about you…
You would spend about 20 hours a day either asleep or resting;
You would spend between 1 to 3 hours a day feeding;
You would spend between 1 to 3 hours a day grooming, moving from one place to another, and searching for a mate.
And something that you may not want to raise with a koala – you would have very little brain, about the size of a shriveled walnut (in two separate halves).
But in case there is still any doubt, here is something that definitively sets you apart from being a koala. The koala lives a solitary life.
Obviously not totally solitary or we would have run out of koalas.
And there may be a territory of eucalyptus and a loose-knit society of koalas, but koalas are not communal.
They are not ‘one another’ creatures.
They are not made to be mutually supportive, to be welcoming, to work cooperatively as a team, to respect and value one another, to be protective of one another (apart probably from their own offspring).
But if you are a child of God, and if we are Christ followers, we are all these things – we are made to be.
Who are we?
Ephesians 3:15 – Family members, born of our Heavenly Father, carrying the family name.
This passage affirms that we are a people chosen, redeemed, a people among whom, with whom, God is building His home.
What do we have?
Ephesians 3:16-19 – The Spirit of the risen Christ and all that he brings.
We have, by the living Spirit of the risen Christ, ‘every spiritual blessing in Christ’.
Why are we here?
Ephesians 3:21 – To bring glory to His name.
We are for the praise of His glory.
Also we are here to…
- Know Him better
- Know the hope to which we are called
But above all to be to the praise of His glory.
…to him be glory in the church…
So thank God for koalas, enjoy them, delight in them, protect them, just don’t expect them to be interested in building a caring community – we are made for different ends.