“We are the Body of Christ. By the One Spirit, we were all baptized into one Body and have all been made to drink of the One Spirit.” – 1 Corinthians 12: 12&13.
Take a Moment to Ponder
One of the tasks of Paul’s letters to the various congregations, is to teach them what it means to be the mystical Body of Christ. That you are called to keep, ever before the world, the remembrance of Christ Jesus and the quality of life he came to offer under the reign of God.
This quality of life sees each individual as a part of the family of God gifted for a special purpose. As noble as this ideal is in theory, when it comes to implementation on a practical level, it is a different matter. The frailties of this fallen and carnal world come into play as we deal with some unhealthy traits such as individualism, materialism, selfishness, amongst other things, under the guise of a spiritual goal.
The Church, has the hard work of dealing with these short comings of the human nature, while at the same time holding us up to the high ideals of the Kingdom of God. IT IS NOT AN EASY TASK AND AS SUCH REQUIRES PATIENCE. I do believe the process can be helped by persons remembering our identity and purpose both on an individual level and on a community basis, which is to know ourselves as children of God, disciples of Jesus and the temple of the Holy Spirit with our purpose being service in love to build up community. Let us therefore pray that when we are interacting with each other we remember that we take our cue from the example of Jesus as symbolised the cross who died for community so everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Take action
During the course of the week, reflect on your church community, your family, whatever other organization to which you belong, and ask what has been your role in enabling the community to be a place and space where each person is valued and their contribution to the community is honoured. How have you been helping others to do the same and to see that there is great benefit in building up community.
A Moment in Prayer
Lord Jesus you died on the cross so that who believe in you may experience the gift of eternal life. Enable us to see that the practical outworking of your love is community and therefore each of us has to play our part in ensuring that we build up the common good. Grant us the courage put aside our temptations to let selfishness, individualism and materialism, get the better of us, and instead follow the way of the cross as the way that leads to eternal life. We ask this by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives and reign with you and the Father, One God, Forever and ever. Amen
Contributed by: Canon Michael Allen