Day 5: Called Equally
Bible: Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
‘For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.’
Read the passage through a couple of times. What words stand out to you from this passage? Why are they important for you today?
Reflection:
Through our baptism each one of us is a member of the body of Christ. As St Paul clearly states in his letter to the Corinthians, no member of the body is more important than the other.All are vitally important to the proper and healthy functioning of the body. Of course, the ministries within the church are diverse but none is more important than the other, all are needed for the flourishing of the body of Christ. Sometimes we find ourselves thinking: “I’m not good enough to do that!” or “she’s much holier than I am, that’s why God has asked her to do that”. Often, we are our own worst enemy, our negative view of ourselves or our low self-esteem and lack of confidence become obstacles to us moving forward into all that God has called us to. Today, choose not to listen to those negative voices that are often part of our own narrative, listen instead to the still small voice of God that whispers to your heart that you are a precious adopted daughter or son of the living God, his beloved child, called to love and serve him.
Prayer: choose one of the following:
Play some relaxing music. As the music plays think about those who belong to your church community, as you call to mind the different names and faces think about what they have been called to within the life of the church. What are their ministries? How do they serve God? – pray for them. Grab a piece of paper and draw a floor plan of your church. Picture a typical Sunday morning. Mark the pew/chair where you sit, write your name on that space. Who sits near you? Write their names too. We are creatures of habit and tend to sit in the same seats each week – how many of the church family can you place in their seats? Make up a simple prayer to pray for your church family. Do you know everyone’s name? if not, why don’t you introduce yourself next time you see them?
Paul