We Are The Body
1 Corinthians 12.12-14, 27-31; Psalm 100.1-5; Luke 7.11-17
There are many different images used to describe the church in Scripture. It is a gathering, it is the temple, it is the bride of Christ. And in a number of New Testament texts it is also referred to as the body of Christ. I love this imagery. I love how it makes us think about what we’ve been called to and how we should conduct ourselves as the church. Paul highlights this in 1 Corinthians 12, saying among other things:
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (vv.12-13)
The body is such a vivid image because it tells us that through our diversity we are one. Through our diversity of backgrounds we have become one assembly. Through our diversity of gifts we have come together for one purpose. Through our diversity of personalities we have one Lord.
It also communicates to use our need to be satisfied with who we are. No one person, no one gift, no one calling can fit all Christians. Each member has a different, yet important function. The one Spirit we all drink from has outfitted us with the necessary tools to do our part in the kingdom of God. No part is more important than the next, but all are intended to work in concert to the glory of God.
Embrace being part of the body of Christ. Know that you play a special role in God’s mission on earth, and know that you matter–no matter who you are–as a piece of the one, big, united family that calls God Father.