A little ago a decision was made to decorate. The room we were going to decorate was gloomy, in need of a lift, so we decided to go for a creamy yellow. Decision made? Don’t you believe it! The range of creamy yellow is unbelievable – ‘sunrise’, ‘narcissus’, ‘laughter’, ‘buttermilk’, ‘wicker’. Ivory’, lemon zest’, to name but a few. These were all shades of yellow, yet they were all different, each with its own subtle shade.
It doesn’t take much to see where I am going next, does it? Unity in diversity – what the church is all about, or at least what it should be. We’re all Christians – Anglican, Roman Catholics, Baptist, Methodist, Salvation Army, house church, and countless others – but we each have our own distinguishing characteristics. Within each denomination and individual fellowship, the same applies: an enormous variety of gifts, temperaments and experiences represented in every one of them. Is that a weakness? It can be, if we let it divide us, but it should be quite the opposite: a source of strength as we celebrate our unity in diversity. Imagine if there were just one shade of yellow – what an infinitely poorer place the world would be. So, with the church: we all profess Christ is Lord and all seek to follow him, but I doubt any two of us are the same. Thank God for that wonderful, astonishing and enriching diversity!
The church is God’s idea. But more than that, the church is also God’s people. To help us grasp this point, the apostle Paul in our first reading gives us the picture of the human body. He says that the church is the body of Christ: ‘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.’ (1 Cor. 12:12).
And being part of a body – the Body of Christ – means being a member – we are given membership status. Such membership, of course, is meaningless, for belonging to any organisation should mean being involved and playing a part, all of which is worth bearing in mind when it comes to being part of the Church. We may carry the label ‘Christians’ but that by itself means nothing. We need to meet together, worship together and work together, united in the common cause of Christ. We need to offer not just our money but our time and effort, looking for ways in which our gifts can be used for the good of all. Above all, we need to make time for one another, so that we are not simply members on paper but a family in practice. To be a Christian means to be part of the body of Christ. Are we fulfilling our role within that?
Just think for a moment of your body - there are lots of different parts - hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose, legs, arms etc. Each is different from the rest, yet each is needed for the special thing only they can do. Paul says it is the same in the church. Though we’re all different, each of us come together to form the body, the church. Each of us has gifts, things given by God to be used for his glory and the good of others.
One could be forgiven to thinking that Paul was thinking about Halloween, as he describes these freaky bodies, it’s the stuff of horror movies: It would be like the whole body being an eye. Just one big eye. It would be great for seeing, but it wouldn’t be able to hear or speak. Or imagine another body made up of just one big ear. The hearing would be great, but it couldn’t smell anything.
In our bodies, God has arranged all the various parts to work together, and it’s the same in the church. God has brought each of us here to be a part of this church so that as we work together, we can glorify God and help each other live for God. We need each other, we need the gifts God has given us, serving and working in so many different ways - each playing our own special part. So are you playing your part? Are you using your gifts and talents and abilities through the church? Do you know what your gift/s is/are? It might be in reading the Bible reading of the day, so that we share in the readings; it could be in singing in the choir; or praying; or hospitality; or visiting someone; or encouraging people; or teaching the Bible to the children and young people; or administration; or wisdom in decisions and serving the tea and coffee... we could go on and on...
We’re in this together - as someone once said, church is not a spectator sport. ‘If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.’ God also calls us the work in unity with each other and our gifts. Realising that our gift is no more important than the gift of someone else. My leading the word zone is no good to anyone if you are not here to hear it, I need you to listen and prayerfully respond, just as you need me to lead the zone so you can respond! I need Jane and Carole to make me a cup of tea, and Sarah to read the Bible reading. Different people, serving in different ways, all very much needed, all important. No gift is better than the other. And if you feel that you don’t have a gift or you, for one reason or another can’t do anything. Well, take some time out to discover the gift/s God wants you to have. And remember if you can’t physically do something you can pray. Prayer is essential for the running of any church. It is the life line between God and his people. If you are not sure what to pray for, ask Bruce or someone else if there is anything you can pray for.
Above all we should encourage each other to use the gifts that God has given us so that all the pieces of God’s jigsaw can be joined together to the Glory of Him. Amen.
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