Back to School 
Pause
School has begun, and in a few short weeks, the blissful days of summer are going to come to an end. The weather will turn cooler, the shadows deeper, and the busyness of the new school year will really take over.
Though each school year promises exciting opportunities to meet new people and build new relationships at school, pause for a moment and consider the relationships that you share with others in your faith community.
Listen
Instead, the parts of the body that people think are the weakest are the most necessary. The parts of the body that we think are less honorable are the ones we honor the most. The private parts of our body that aren’t presentable are the ones that are given the most dignity. The parts of our body that are presentable don’t need this. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other.
1 Corinthians 12:22-25
Think
Ever heard that Jesus phrase, “The first shall be last, and last shall be first”? That’s pretty much what Paul is trying to say in this passage. The parts of Christ’s body that we think of as being unimportant or unnecessary are actually the parts that will receive the most honor in the end.
This is why Jesus was so partial to children. They didn’t ask anything from him. They weren’t hoping for healing or delivery from evil spirits. In fact, it was the simplicity with which they approached faith that made their spirits so pure.
In a little way, this is what makes young people so important for the church. You don’t have an agenda for faith or the church. You love Christ, because Christ is alive within you. But you’re not the only one who falls into this category. I’m willing to bet there are a lot of different people in your congregation that don’t seem to have any importance to running the church. According to Paul, these people are ones that God is concerned with the most.
Jason Santos
Pray
God of all people, I pray that you might bless those in my church who feel unimportant and insignificant. Scripture tells me that they are very important to you. Help me to see them through your eyes. And in times when I feel small, remind me that I’m important to you as well. In Christ’s name, amen.
Go
Okay … now seize this day and those wonderful relationships you have in your church by sharing a moment with someone from your faith community. As you begin this transition to the next season, try sharing it with someone close to you.
