We the Body

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Body of Christ this week, which is the local church in action. How often do we stop to think about the vital role that each one of us plays in the life of Oak Hills? It’s easy to appreciate the “up-front” people, the musicians, singers, speakers, because they are literally right in front of our eyes. But there are so many “behind-the-scenes” people who are counting the offering, folding the bulletins, cleaning the bathrooms, pulling weeds, rocking babies, setting up chairs and taking them back down again, and without any one of the people in our church we would feel a loss. I have a bad back and when it flares up it is difficult to work, drive, cook, even worship and I think our community is just like that. If one function of our community were to stop, we would find it affects everything and when one member goes away it leaves us wounded.

We had a wonderful speaker recently at the Tuesday Morning Bible Study. Her name is Nancy and she spoke to us of her depression over not being able to find a “job” for herself in her church and of asking God to show her how she can still be an active, contributing part of the Body, even though her age (82) and physical condition (crippled by polio) seem to leave her out. And God gave her a vision of what her role in the church is: she is to encourage people, to show them that joy and peace and love don’t stop even when you’re elderly and beset with aches and pains. She was a joyful embodiment of life in Christ and I know she must be a treasure to her own church. She was a beautiful reminder that every person God brings into the church has a gift and a service to offer to the rest of us and we have something to offer in return and our gifts wonderfully compliment each other. Wouldn’t it be awful if everyone wanted to be the Sermonizer? the drummer? the sound board operator? But thankfully we each come uniquely gifted and we work together.

On the flip side, the church offers us a gift in making a place for us to contribute to its vitality. I was in a conversation early in the week about how the church fosters our spiritual growth and several people mentioned the opportunity to serve as having been an important part of their growth. I know this has been true for me. The church I grew up in gave me many chances to step into the life of the church and try out various roles. They invited me to serve in children’s ministries, try out leadership roles, speak, do evangelism, and yes, stack chairs. I was not a success at everything I tried, but the opportunity to step out and see what God could do in me and through me were always available and I’m sure formed me in many ways over the years. Oak Hills has also been generous in giving me a place. We each have a “job” to do, as Nancy would say. What is the special thing about you that we can’t do without? What was it that we needed that God sent us when you came to Oak Hills? I look forward to the adventure of serving and being served with you.