How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

I can’t say for sure, but I do know that, when you get a group of Baptist men together for a few of hours with a handful of chainsaws and axes and a couple of wood splitters, it’s enough to fill two small dump trucks. The old adage doesn’t lie: Many hands make light work.

That was what happened this morning, when nearly twenty men from our church gathered at our pastor’s place to cut up wood for the benefit of a fellow member.

We were to begin at 7:30 AM, and I arrived on the dot, but after years of knowing these men, some of whom consider rising with the sun next to godliness, I shouldn’t have been surprised to find most of them already gathered and hard at work.

Every man found his station. Some sawed, some chopped, some split, some stacked. The buzzing of the chainsaws kept conversation to a minimum, although we occasionally chatted and laughed in the midst of our labor.

What stands out most in my observation, though, was how seamlessly we worked together, almost as if we belonged to some beautifully choreographed troupe. But we know each other well and have worked together before, so our ability to move in rhythmic unison is not altogether surprising.

What ultimately unites us, though, is our brotherhood, which is rooted in our shared faith and our love for one another. We have worshipped and fellowshipped together, prayed and studied God’s Word together, and laughed and cried together. We have borne one another’s burdens and rejoiced in one another’s victories. We have loved one another because of the One who first loved us.

Our world is increasingly isolationist, divisive, and lonely, and we are too often told to put ourselves before others or that it’s every man for himself. But I call bluff on that. In reality, and in God’s economy, we need each other, and the unity of believers is especially of value.

It’s a great blessing and comfort to know that, when I am downtrodden or sick or in need, I can count on my local church body to encourage and help me…to be the hands and feet of Jesus in my life. It’s a joy to know that I have others who can be a “scotch” for me when the wheels of life would otherwise run me over. As Ecclesiastes 4 teaches us, “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow….”

And you can’t beat that with a stick of wood.