Disappearing Parts (1 Cor. 12:21-22)

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. ~1 Corinthians 12:21-22

Beloved,

This fall, Back to the Future celebrates its 30^th anniversary. In that film, Marty McFly monitors a family snapshot while revisiting his parents’ past of  the 1950s. His siblings gradually vanish in the image, a sign Marty has seriously altered time. At the flick’s climax, Marty’s own arm starts to fade, making it impossible for Marty to play his guitar during the Enchantment under the Sea dance.

What if, like Marty’s, our limbs suddenly disappeared?  Imagine if our right hand faded every third week, or our left leg vanished twice a month. We might function, but what a struggle! Also, our body would have no choice but to compensate for those missing parts.  A man can survive without a leg, but would he flourish?

How difficult is it, then, for people or groups to function when participants are absent?   What if they’re missing like McFly’s arm and fingers? What’s the impact on the church and the lost that the church is to serve?

The church is called 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 Corinthians 12:12) As individual parts, we make up the whole body of the church. We’re distinctive, functioning uniquely but we’re one in the body. Some of us are hands while others are eyes. Some are feet. Some are ears. All of the parts of the body are indispensable. They’re essential for us to flourish as a whole.  We cannot say to one another, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, we should say, “I need you for we are not the same without you!” The church cannot function well if its individual parts just disappear.

God’s children are vital to church life. Do you know how indispensable every member is? God gives gifts to his church. God calls individual members to be part of the whole body of Christ. Are you a dependable part? Or are you a disappearing member?

We need you! We need each other! Every person that’s a part of the body of Christ is needed to participate and activate in order to have a well-functioning church. Are you playing your part?  God has placed you in the church body for a reason. We need all our eyes, all our fingers, and all our legs to do all God has called us to do. Make our church gatherings a priority for we need you!!