AtomMembers of the Body of Christ,
Brothers and Sisters in Christ…fellow members of the body of Christ…the family of God,
Last Sunday in worship, we heard these words from 1 Corinthians 12:
12 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. 13 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.
And then, after reflecting on the body needing every member, without distinction:
24But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
This Christmas, it was fun…it was delightful…it was heart-warming…it was touching….to read the Christmas letters that you (members of the Body of Christ) sent our way, as you shared in your celebrations and in your struggles of life and faith. THANK YOU for sharing your stories with Joy and me, as fellow members of the body of Christ.
In these stories we heard again how important is it to be linked with the Body of Christ: the family of God! Consider two of the Christmas stories shared with in these powerful Christmas letters:
The first starts with: WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT HIM!
The words of “THE MESSIAH” from Isaiah 53:4-6 are very meaningful to us these days. We’ve not been able to celebrate Christmas as usual this year. There’s a sadness in the air – the thought of losing my beloved husband. He wrote the following a few weeks ago:
“I must tell you the bad news. I have been diagnosed with cancer. I have been so healthy my whole life that this has been quite a shock to us. I am signed up for hospice care and would very much like to remain home until the rest of the close family arrives in January. These have been wonderful and adventurous times with many great friends, almost all of whom we know, not only personally, but also ‘in the Spirit’. We have come to see how very important is the Body of Christ and the people who make up the body. Don’t sell yourself short. We are all so very important to one another. Find your place in Christ!!”
The second, a father reflecting on his daughter’s difficult journey with cancer the year before:
The big question she faced was whether she could return to teaching. Aided by a colleague who offered to fill in as needed and others who arranged her classroom for her, providing a chair for her to use as she taught, she returned to teach one class. As time went by, she regained her strength, able to be on her feet during most of the class; Thanks to these caring people.
We’re also thankful to their neighbors, who kept their sidewalk and driveway shoveled and to friends and fellow church members who provided food all winter. We found ourselves filled again and again with gratitude at the outpouring of support that she and her family received.
The body of Christ is a wonderful gift. Thank you, brothers and sisters in Christ, for sharing your Christmas stories and letters with us. As we grow in Christ this year, I hear words of wisdom spoken for all to hear:
We have come to see how very important is the Body of Christ and the people who make up the body. Don’t sell yourself short” We are all so very important to one another. Find your place in Christ!!”
A fellow and grateful brother in Christ,
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