August 27, 2026 - "The Word Among Us" - A Weekly Note from Pastor Michael

The Creatures We Become 

Thursday, August 27, 2026 

The Federated Church of Chagrin Falls 

There are things human beings can do together that none of us could ever do alone. We build churches and schools. We create businesses and governments. We form neighborhoods, movements, organizations, and communities. We gather our individual lives together and create something larger than ourselves. 

In fact, our word corporation comes from the Latin corpus, meaning “body.” To incorporate is, quite literally, to form a body. And these bodies we create together can do extraordinary things. 

Think about our own life at Federated. No one person could teach all our children, visit everyone who is sick, prepare every meal, sing every song, care for our buildings, advocate for justice, comfort every grieving family, or welcome every stranger who comes through our doors. But together, ordinary gifts become something more. We become capable of things none of us could accomplish alone.

But something else can happen, too. The bodies we create can begin to take on a life of their own. Organizations develop habits. Institutions protect themselves. Communities tell stories about who belongs and who does not. Systems reward certain behaviors and discourage others. Sometimes we even find ourselves participating in things together that few of us would ever choose to do alone. 

The Bible has surprisingly rich language for realities like these. It speaks of powers and principalities—forces larger than any one person that nevertheless shape the lives of persons. Sometimes those powers serve life. Sometimes they become monsters. 

This raises an important spiritual challenge. What good is it simply to ask what someone believes about the world if we aren’t paying attention to the bodies we inhabit—and the creatures we become together. 

Last Sunday, Peter looked at Jesus and declared, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded by talking about the church he would build: a people gathered together, ordinary lives bound into something larger than themselves. 

This Sunday, the conversation continues. Peter has the right word: Christ. But he is about to discover that recognizing Christ and understanding what kind of Christ Jesus will be are two very different things. 

Perhaps the same is true for us. What happens when our families, churches, institutions, communities, and nations gather our lives together? What kind of body are we becoming? Does our life together make compassion, courage, mercy, justice, and love more possible? 

Or can we sometimes smuggle a monster inside and give it a holy name? 

Read Before Sunday 

Matthew 16:13–20 

Questions for Reflection 

• What communities, organizations, or institutions have helped shape the person you are becoming? 
• Where have you seen people accomplish something beautiful together that none of them could have accomplished alone? 
• What might help us recognize whether the bodies we create together are becoming more life-giving—or more monstrous? 

I look forward to gathering with you around the Word this Sunday. 

Grace and Peace, 

Pastor Michael