Listen

Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Think

In sixth grade, my brother and I were both in the middle school band. I played the flute; he played the bassoon. If you’ve never heard a middle schooler playing pep-band songs on a bassoon before, just imagine a duck stuck in a washing machine (best way I can describe it, sorry brother). For this reason, whenever my parents heard my brother practicing by himself, they never could tell which songs he was playing. When other members of the band joined in, the songs began to unfold, and you could hear every different instrument working together to create a unified sound.

That is much like the role that we have as Christ followers, all functioning together to be a part of the body of Christ. Only joining in with people like us might make sense to us, but it isn’t much help to anybody else. We can make a larger impact when we join together, advocating for justice in and with a community made of all types of people.

Milligan Burroughs

Pray

God of Fellowship,

Help me to know that we are stronger when we are together.

I want to make an impact in the world – so let me not be afraid to ask for help or to offer help, as I join in together with the larger community around me.

Community still looks different this year. Please provide ways we can still meet the needs of fellowship outside of what we are used to.

Amen.

Go

We are one in the Spirit;
we are one in the Lord.
And we pray that all unity
may one day be restored.
And they’ll know we are Christians
by our love, by our love.
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love!

from “They’ll Know We Are Christians” by Peter Scholtes (1966)