One Body

“You are the body of Christ.

Each of you is a part of it.”   

          1 Corinthians 12:27

 Dear Gifted Christians:

            As you prepare to read this newsletter why don’t you first go ahead and make some coffee, tea or hot chocolate, whatever you prefer. Then pour yourself a mug full and sit down in your comfortable chair. So, did you do it? Are you ready? Then go ahead and read on.

            Now that you got the mug, think about all it took for you to pick up that mug. Your brain said to your hand, “reach out and grab that handle”. Your shoulder moved the ligaments and bones to extend the arm. Your arm allowed the blood to flow down to the hand’s fingers to open and close. Your brain once again sent messages to the arm, hand, fingers to use the right amount of strength, lift, force. In an instant you picked up the mug full of hot drink and began to sip. It’s so simple our body in a split second can perform all the computations and measurements to lift that mug to your mouth. But it takes so many parts working together to get that simple task dome.

                        Just as St. Paul describes the body of Christ, he uses that image of the human body to emphasize that each part is important and valuable and cannot work by itself. Just like a human body has many parts, the hand cannot say it doesn’t need the rest of the body to fulfill its work. If the hand were by itself it could do nothing, not even grab a mug. It requires the entire body, the ligaments, muscles, bones, blood, brain, heart, eyes, every part working together in so many detailed ways to even get our mouth to take that first sip.

                        The church operates in the same way. We are the body of Christ all working together as one people. But each job is important. The church cannot operate unless every part is working together. We cannot have worship without worship helpers and chancel care people .We cannot welcome friends and strangers alike unless there are people hosting the fellowship coffee times and other events. We cannot lift up our prayers, voices and praise to our Lord in worship without people designing services, making bulletins, leading worship, and offering their gifts of song and praise. We cannot share the word of God and tell others without having someone open their mouths, speak their faith and tell the good news. We cannot keep the building open without donors and workers fixing, cleaning, staffing, and maintaining the church. Each job is important. It might not seem like much, but every small part is so integral to the work of the whole. This month consider and pray about your potential part in this one body of St. Mark.

                                                In the peace and grace of God,

                                                                        Pastor Kirk Griffin