Daily Devotion, April 7, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, 27.

This is one of my favorite scriptures. The apostle Paul writes beautifully of his image of the church in that we are all parts of the body of Christ. I love that he animates the foot and the ear with speaking voices! I can almost see Paul smiling as he writes this letter to the church at Corinth!

Paul often writes in an attempt to help the new Jewish Christians and the new Gentile Christians to get along with each. Sometimes they had differences which kept them from functioning at their best to carry out Christ’s mission for the church. He’s calling them to work together!

Paul reminds them that they are all many parts, but that they are ONE body, by their baptism and by the gift of God’s Spirit. Then he reminds them that they are each different for different purposes and functions.

Paul declares that God has arranged the body of Christ, the church, with these different parts to function at it’s best for God’s mission.

There are various analogies to further illustrate Paul’s image of the body of Christ: orchestras, team sports, machines, computers, vehicles, and puzzles. But I simply love pondering just a few of the ways in which our church has functioned over the last year to help others; providing food for the Mustard Tree ministry, providing supplies for the Bethlehem Center, helping area schools, helping with the Tornado clean-up from 2020, helping with projects at Camp Lookout, and financially helping with mission projects around the globe. Others have worked in our church’s nursery and preschool, and with our children and youth. Others have taught Bible studies, led Sunday school and small group classes. And others have worked to bring us worship services through the gifts of technology into our homes!

Each person’s gifts are vital as a part of the Body of Christ and important in fulfilling Christ’s mission for the world. Individually, the mission would be an insurmountable task, but together, by God’s grace, and the power of God’s Spirit, it’s possible!!!

Personal Worship Option:

Life-giving God, we celebrate the gifts which you give into the life of the people to carry out Christ’s mission in the world. Thank you for the gifts you have given to each of us. Help us as a church to work together, in love, to give our best to serve others in this world. Amen.