Listen

Certainly the body isn’t one part but many. If the foot says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not a hand,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? If the ear says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not an eye,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, what would happen to the hearing? And if the whole body were an ear, what would happen to the sense of smell? But as it is, God has placed each one of the parts in the body just like he wanted. If all were one and the same body part, what would happen to the body?

1 Corinthians 12:14-19

Think

I love a good rhetorical question. What would happen to the body if all were the same body part? Paul really is making us think with that when he wrote 1 Corinthians. It is important that we each understand we are most capable when we work as a team. This also looks like not biting off more than we can chew, so to speak. This can mean allowing yourself time to rest. When we think we can or have to do it all by ourselves, we can get burnt out very quickly. We need each other to continue as a human body for Christ.

When defining what “church” means, I believe it is the body of people who come together to worship and serve the community to which they belong. How are you serving your community? How are you offering to help those around you who may need a little extra support? Or, how can you ask others to help you get through the next week a little easier? Christ calls us to lean into the community we have been given for a reason.

Milligan Burroughs

Pray

God of Teamwork,

Thank you for the people in my life that you have given me to lean on.

When I am feeling weak, help me remember that I am not a burden as I am human and can’t do it all on my own.

When I am feeling strong, let me be a source of comfort and help to those around me.

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)