The Body of Christ

"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ."  1 Corinthians 12:12

We are excited to welcome some new members this Sunday: Kenneth Burton, Bonita Griffith, Darryl & Carol Roberts. (Bonita will join next Sunday, Carol passed away, so her husband Darryl won’t be able to join us as he is preparing for her memorial service on Monday.) It is always a joyful thing to see the body of Christ, the Church, grow! We welcomed a few earlier in the year –Nicole Taylor (daughter Apollonia); Jonathan Luzuriagga & Heather Cascante (son Icarus). Isn’t it great to see the body of Christ growing?

St.Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that it is by faith in Christ that we become part of the institution we call the Church, the body of Christ. Jesus is the head, and we are the body, grafted in by grace through the gift of faith.This means we are all united with one another in that body – and more locally, we are united with one another in this congregation.

The world doesn’t understand this. The world divides people along all manner of categories, like gender, or race, or how much money we make, or what school we went to, or what political party we like, or what job we have. The church can be glorious in its diversity, because what unites us isn’t the color of our skin or the size of our bank accounts. What unites us is a shared bond with our head, Jesus Christ.

The diversity of those parts is necessary for the body to function properly. If your whole body was covered in eyes, how would you hear? If the whole body was covered with ears, you’d have great hearing, but you couldn’t smell. It’s a silly picture, but it’s true!

St. Paul gives examples like this to make a powerful point! God has gifted each member, as he sees fit. You’ve been given exactly the gifts that you need and that the body needs. The eye cannot look at the hands and proclaim “I don’t need you.” The eye needs the hands to be fed, and the hands need the eye to know where to go. We’re all connected!

This diversity is far from being a liability, it actually contributes to the unity of the body. In God’s wonderful design, we have weak and strong together, presentable and unpresentable members of the body, blending together in harmony. It is something quite beautiful!

This bodily union also means that if one part of our body is in pain, we all feel it. This Monday we will gather to remember and say farewell to Carol Roberts, one of our own. We will miss hearing Carol sing during communion with that beautiful voice, but remember the faith she shared so boldly. When one person grieves, we all grieve. When one is hurt, we all hurt. That’s part of sharing one another’s burdens.

This isn’t only true with pain, but also with joy. When one member is honored, we all can rejoice. When one person succeeds, we all can share in the joy. When someone joins the church, we can all celebrate!

Jesus Christ is building His Church, one person at a time. Jesus is blessing the body of Christ, the church,  with gifts we need, in order to do His will and accomplish His purposes. We are the Body of Christ!

In the name of Jesus;
Pastor Dan

ANNOUNCEMENTS

‍- Join us for worship this Sunday at First Evangelical and Holy Cross Churches. We pray you experience God’s love and grace in worship today. Please join us after worship for a delicious lunch in the Fellowship Hall. We will be welcoming a group of new members during worship.

- There will be a Celebration of Life Memorial Service for Carol Roberts this Monday at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel. Please keep her husband, Darryl, her family and friends in your prayers.

- We will have a special Playground Dedication Service next Sunday! It was installed this past week and will be a blessing to our youth. Check it out!

- Our “Back to School Supplies Drive” for Conniston Middle School ends next Sunday. Please place items in the box at the back of church.

- Holy Cross Church Council will meet September 6th after worship, with a Special Church Congregational meeting on September 13th after worship, all Holy Cross members are encouraged to attend.

- Join us for a Special Sunday Cultural Meal on September 6th after worship, featuring Ecuadorian beef stew prepared by the Luzuriagga family.  Final day to RSVP is on September 1st. Sign-up at the back of church. Free will offering will be received.

- Special Request: Please do not feed the cats! Our church cats are old and need very special dietary restrictions. Additional unapproved food is causing serious issues for them. They are cared for very well by the Bedwells and Sera, who feed them twice a day; they receive regular veterinarian care.

- The Sunflower Christian Academy, just a few blocks east of us, are enrolling students for this fall’s school year. They served PreK3 to 2nd grade, offer microschool for special abilities, afterschool programs for 5–12-year-olds, and summer camp. More info at:www.scawpb.com