ONE MISSION, ONE BODY
Jenna Worsham
Today’s Scripture: “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 one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” I Corinthians 12:12-13, ESV
Theme: Let go of your agenda and cooperate based on mutual belief in One God.
GUARDIANS
It’s a big role being a “guardian.” Parents and guardians of dependents (young or elderly) keenly recognize the weight of that responsibility. And yet, we are all guardians of the body of Christ. We are made to care for one another, and by our mutual care, contribution, and service, we will show the world what it is to love like Jesus. We, like the characters in this week’s movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, are all very different. They are as different as a hand is from a liver or an eye is from a bicep. “For the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Corinthians 12:14, ESV). A mutant raccoon, a sentient, uprooted vine-like tree, an 80’s man-child, and two species of humanoid aliens with tragic backstories make up the ragtag crew. Somehow, we, also a ragtag team, become the body of Christ – unified by the Holy Spirit.
AGENDA
Some of us love an agenda and others of us shudder at the word and its many constraints. Whether or not we embrace the idea of agenda, all of us have an angle. Maybe it’s a focus on family. Maybe it is being successful. Maybe it’s a passion for culture, travel, language, food, or sports. Regardless of what we value, it isn’t the same as what our neighbor values unless we have a mutual agreement to prioritize a common goal. “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:26, ESV). That’s what we do when we become a part of the Church. We agree to place Jesus and His purposes and plan at the top of our agendas.
FOR THE GOOD OF THE BODY
When a person falls, instinct causes the hands to extend to break the fall. Sometimes the hands are scraped, bruised, or an arm may even break in the process of protecting the face, eyes, and torso. In the movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot sacrifices his own safety for the good of his team. “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:26, ESV). While we honor and respect the self-sacrificing, when we are faced with the choice between personal safety and comfort or the common good, it can be hard to step up.
Make It Personal: In what ways do you belong to the body of Christ, and in what ways do you consider yourself a misfit? To what or whom are you a guardian? Why is that role important to you, and how does it change your behavior?
Pray: Father God, thank You for being my first and forever guardian. You care for me even when I am a rogue. You love me when I cause problems or infect the body. Help me to love like Jesus and offer myself freely. Help me to cooperate and compromise. Help me to see my value and contributions but even if I can’t, give me the strength to offer up my own agenda and submit to Your plan. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read: I Corinthians 12:12-31
Weekly Memory Verse: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Matthew 16:26, ESV