Tuesday, September 2, 2008

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY: Ephesians 1:15-23

PSALM OF THE WEEK: Psalm 53

HYMN OF THE DAY: CH# 241 “Holy Spirit, Truth Divine” http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/o/holstdiv.htm

VERSE OF THE DAY: And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head of all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23 NRSV

 

How would you feel if someone who claimed to be your friend said to you, “You know, I love you, man, but I can’t stand your body.  It’s ugly.  It stinks.  It really offends me, so I want to be close to you, I just don’t want to be anywhere near your body.”  With a friend like that, you wouldn’t need any enemies, would you?  Yet, some people treat the Body of Christ, the Church, that way.  They claim they love God and Christ, yet they avoid the Body.  They think they have their reasons: previous hurts, actions by those who pretend to be Christians, being asked to help support the Body with their time and money, etc.  But what they are really saying to God is that they don’t really want to be a Christian.  You cannot love the Christ if you cannot love his body, the “fullness of him who fills all in all.”  Of course, being part of that Body brings about a big responsibility.  It doesn’t matter if you are eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feet, stomach, or any other part, you have to live in Love with the other parts of the body (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-31).  When one part of our human body doesn’t get along with the others, we say that part of our body is sick.  When one part of the Body of Christ doesn’t get along with the other parts, the same metaphor applies.  That is why we, as a congregation and a denomination, work so much with other churches.  It is also why we need to show that same spirit of cooperation with each other inside the church.  We are all part of the same glorious, fulfilling, Body of Christ.

 

PRAYER: O God of Glory, give me the determination to always be an active part of the Body of Christ, the patience to cooperate with all the other members, and love and forgiving spirit that I need to be able to that.  May the entire one Church of Christ on Earth, truly work together for your Glory, and may I do my part to make sure that is always a reality. Amen.

 

See you in Church Sunday,

Pastor Sandy

 

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