Imagine a watch. You take off the back and gaze inside. To your wonder you see all the delicate intricacies in harmonized motion all contained neatly within the design of the watch casing. As long as everything is properly aligned then the piece allows you to properly discern the time. However, if one seemingly miniscule cog is out of alignment, the entire watch is either in need of repair or marked for the junk heap.

Now imagine a whole shelf of different watches. You take the backs off of each and view the mechanisms, each in proper alignment for the case which houses their movement. Each piece aligned within themselves keeps accurate time, but yet each piece is different.

Now take all the watches which are properly aligned and synchronize them. Each piece maintains its individuality. Each is distinctive. Yet each ticks and tocks in perfect sync with the other, and should continue to for quite some time depending on each pieces internal alignment. 

Now look at the time…five after six. When each watch is properly in individual alignment and all watches are synchronized you find that the time signifies that a change has come. Five after six either means the day has ended and the evening has begun or else it means the night has ended and the new day has dawned. No matter which it is, the watches alert you to the time.

Now let me relate this to the Church by posing a few questions.

1. Are we truly aware of the hour for our ministries, our churches, our denominations, and our communities?
2. Do we need better alignment within our individual structures or better alignment in our corporate nature or both?
3. Does our corporate nature need to be one of synchronicity more so than alignment?
4. Finally, at what point do we synchronize with other ministries, churches, denominations and organizations to better fulfill our mission?

Alignment is essential, but maybe many of the differences within our structures should be cause for synchronization instead of alignment. In other words, let’s be more concerned about how we can work together for Christ than we are about which time piece has the better movement. 

Let us align ourselves with Christ and synchronize with each other.

The clock is ticking,

darrell buttram, jr