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
baptized 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 would 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 would 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 God 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 honorable we clothe with greater honor, 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 honor 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
honored, all rejoice together with it.
Now you are the body of Christ
and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first
apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of
healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of
tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all
prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of
healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
But strive for the greater
gifts.
And I will show you a still more
excellent way (which is love).
***
The best way I have ever heard
Attention Deficit Disorder or (ADD) described is that it isn't that you can’t
concentrate. It's that you can’t concentrate on one thing at a time. Growing up
in school when the classroom was supposed to be quiet, I would hear fellow
student’s pencils scratching the paper like bulldozer beside my ear. In
college, teachers would send me into an office having no idea that their clock
clicked every single second like an incessant tap on the shoulder. Moreover,
their clutter of books, like a splatter paint rainbow my eyes never coming to
rest. School it seemed was for one part of the body. That which could focus on
one singular thing.
Meanwhile, I go on runs with
friends, and as they focus on how far and how fast, I make them slow down, or
stop, or smell. Did you see the snowflaked fractualed form of frost on the
path, listen to the caughcaphany of all those birds in the bushes, oh my gosh
the cherries are ripe over the bridge lets climb and taste one. My friends
would have run on by, like a test of here to there as fast as you can, and if
you are running in a race this is what you want, but perhaps if you want to
notice the gifts in an hour’s slice of day along the path, you take me along.
You set the pace, and I will slow us down, because I don’t measure in speed or
distance, I measure a run firstly in that we got out, in the wonder that there
was a friend to meet, an owl in the tree, and the way the light played against
the melting snow. On a run, with a friend, I get to feel like I am part of the
body, in a way I didn’t always get to in school. I get to feel that my gift, of
good eyes, and attention to everything, has value. That there is a place for
who God created me to be.
Yesterday on the ski hill, seven
year old, Alex in his high pitched voice, yelled my name, “Katy,” and it made
me feel so special. Alex’s has the gift of excitement and welcome, he is
unafraid to wave a big hello to his friends, and even to us adults, he wants to
tell you a story or show you something cool, or just yell the greeting of your
name as loud as he can. As a congregation we are blessed that Alex has a voice
and lots of energy especially during Children’s time, and I think as a
congregation we have created space for Alex’s gift and I hope, in this place,
he feels a part of the body. Last week, Tawny came up to me after church and
said her gift was drawing little bugs and I wondered where God might be calling
us to have pictures of little bugs in this church, or in the community, does
anyone have a need for little bugs, for a budding artist, and a girl willing to
share. It seemed a harder gift to place than something like Zach Allen’s
trumpet, or LaVonne’s meticulous treasurer skills, or Arlita’s prayers, and
Nancy Johnson’s hugs. And Tawny said, “I will draw you one,” and I thought just
how nice that would be. What if Tawny’s part of the body was the gift of
sharing pictures of little bugs. What if upon getting a little picture of tiny
bugs it felt like Alex yelling your name on the ski hill? I bet our hearts will
fill with an equal feeling of love.
I think of us like puzzle pieces,
some of us are one color with gifts expertly honed like Louise and her quilts,
and others are harder to tell, perhaps more than one color and uneasily
separated into a pile, and then you see Deb, help to walk Mike Baker or
interact with little kids, and you see her gifts as a school occupational therapist.
We are all an odd bunch of colors and shapes but then you see one piece that
will go with another, Marion Price walks in with books for preschool Sunday
school and the little ones leave her class with both her peace and joy quietly
saying hello and they cling the banister stairs.
I imagine God has the giant
puzzle in God’s mind.
God knows the colors, and
not just our congregation,
a community of colors
a world of colors
we are building God’s puzzle
look at yourself
look at your neighbor
how does each one give
are we missing pieces
how do we create a place for each
one?
and together it is the body of
Christ.
