No Small Thing In The Kingdom

"Indeed, the body does not consist of one member, but many" (1 Corinthians 12:14)

Our Director of Adult Adult Ministries shared with me the other day a column from "hometouch" he is sending out to our older adult members at Trinity. I'll share it with you as soon as I make sure we have permission and aren't in any copyright violations.

But it gave praise to the small things people do in the church. You know what I mean. The "little things." The small gestures such as sending a card to someone who is in the hospital. Or dropping some flowers off to a shut in. Or coming  to church the night they make cards that the church sends out. The mundane little tasks or doing something behind the scenes.

As I thought about this Scripture, it occurred to me that God looks at what we do in a very different way than we do.  God sees the church as one body.  It has many parts of course, but one body.  The parts are not the body. We tend to forget that sometimes. But the head, as crucial as it is, is not the body. The heart is not the body. The body is the body.

Therefore there are no small, mundane parts. They are all needed, indeed are crucial to the well being of the body. Consider your own body for a moment. How many "behind the scenes" body parts do you have? How would you like to do without them? After all you can't "see" your liver or spleen.  But I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you want to keep them. In fact need them.

Well, how about some of the mundane parts. Your little toe perhaps. Can you get along without it? Certainly. Would you rather? Probably not. Everything is needed in order to keep the body functioning at it peak condition. That's a part of what Paul is talking about in the Scripture. How do we keep the church operating at peak condition? By making sure all the parts of the body are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing.

When we are truly one body, it even changes how we view importance of tasks or recognition.  God doesn't see certain tasks within the body as more important because they are all relying on one another. As a Pastor, I am keenly aware of this every week. I may have a Holy Spirit inspired sermon. But if people aren't made to feel welcome and loved as they come into the church, they won't hear it.  If the music doesn't help people give God praise and warm their hearts, they won't hear the message.  If the Trustees haven't worked hard to make sure the building looks good, if the worship area isn't ready, people won't hear the message. If the sound goes out or it's not right, people won't hear the message. When someone is touched by a sermon it is the result not just of the pastor, but the entire body of Christ.

So, if one part of the body is praised, are we not all praised? Are we not all recognized? Is not the person who picks up their neighbor and brings them to church a part of God's grace in that person's life just as the worship leader is? Of course they are.
 
But for today, let me say to the entire body of Christ, thank you for answering God's call and being a part of the body. You have changed lives and will continue to change them for God's kingdom.  And that is no small thing.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><