“We need the community of faith, with all its flaws and foibles, with all of its gifts and obligations, in order to flourish on mission together.“
Trevin Wax
–
AUGUST 12, 2024
In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he is speaking to new Christians living in one of the largest and most socially diverse cities in the Roman Empire.
These new Christians are living in a competitive culture that values personal gain and influence, in a society that worships competing gods and despises people of other cultures or social classes.
In this letter, Paul tells them that, since they have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, they are now members of a new body, the Church, and they must now learn together, eat together, serve together, and value one another and the various gifts God has given to each one of them. They are also to look to Jesus as the head of this new body, bringing them all together to live as one.
Consider this more recent story:
At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Jack Lipton, a psychologist at Union College, and R. Scott Builione, a graduate student at Columbia University, presented their findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestras perceived each other.
The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and unathletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose “loud” as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical.
Interesting findings, to say the least! With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subordinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music. (Today in the Word, June 22, 1992. Used with permission)
Just likeplayers in an orchestra, we are part of a body of believers which is the Church. We bring to this body our biases, our judgmental attitudes, and our insecurities but we also bring our God-given gifts to build up His Church. We are not to be so worried about other people and the parts they have been given that we lose the focus of faithfully and obediently trusting God for the part He has given us, following the conductor’s lead who brings every part together in perfect harmony.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Ephesians 4:15-16
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- Think of a time when you were part of a group (sports team, band, etc.) with a particular role to play. Were you able to see how your role impacted the success of the group?
- What do you think your role might be in the Church and what can you do to better play that part?
Church Reading Plan: Jeremiah 40; Psalms 15-16