1 Corinthians 12
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it."
The thought that keeps coming to me as I read this chapter is that "we are in this together". The passage does address spiritual gifts and that we are each given a unique spiritual gift. But why are we given the gift? To serve God by serving one another. If we try to live out our faith alone, we are like a single body part that is separated from the rest of the body. God created us to live out our faith together and together we can do the work of God in ways we never could alone.
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Cindy talked about how the ministries of the church could not be done alone. Not one person could prepare and deliver 450 bags of food for Weekend Food. but together as a church we can. Yesterday's passage and today's tie in together. Weekend Food has not always been perfect. It was really smooth for awhile and then we added Cannon, 265 children in one week. Things have been a little crazy since then, a little chaotic, but we are working through it. So, do we say, "no we can only do 100 kids because that feels manageable?" or do we just jump in and go for it. I think we just go for it. Sure there are bumps, but when all is said and done, every week since we started...every child has gotten their food. That is a beautiful example of the church working together.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that came to mind about living our faith together was mission trip. Many different people with many different skills go on the trip with the same purpose, to share God's love with others. A few years ago, I remember team member who didn't do any physical labor, instead she played with the client's young child. The team member's talent may not have been painting or digging post holes for a fence, and that's okay. She spent her time sharing God's love by reaching out and spending time getting to know a child of God. Some are able to spread love through their physical abilities-giving the client a tangible product, while others bring relational skills, reaching out and connecting with an individual. One does not outweigh the other. Both are ways people reach out with their faith. If a team focused solely on physical labor or making relationships, our purpose in going would not be fulfilled-it takes both efforts to be successful.
ReplyDeleteThe Weekend Food program is the perfect example of needing ALL parts of the body. It took people who had an idea, people who were able to volunteer their time to implement the idea, and others still who were able to provide materials and support. If everyone were only able to do one thing, such as come up with an idea, nothing would ever be put into action.