The Body of Christ Has Many Parts

     The combinations are endless. Each of us, with our different gifts, personalities and passions can find our spot to serve. Let me give you an example of one small working part of the body of Christ. It is time for Vacation Bible School. Almost 300 children from our surrounding community will attend. Putting on this week-long adventure offers opportunities for a variety of gifts and talents.

     Let’s take a snapshot of four members of this team. All four have a passion for Jesus and for children. One has the gift of administration along with a natural ability to organize. This woman heads up the week, deciding on a curriculum, recruiting staff, ordering supplies and finding volunteers to design the sets and finding others to set up and take down decorations.

     This particular person may not want to be involved with the Vacation Bible School program on Wednesday evening. Seeing the kids out of step or unorganized would not sit well with her need for order. Our second volunteer is a teacher. She can use her natural gift of creativity to put crafts together for each day’s lesson, using her spiritual gift of teaching to share Jesus. She is thankful for the administrative gifts of her sister above, as administration is not her gift.

     Our third person with this shared passion to reach children loves to build. It has always been a natural talent and he volunteers to do the set design. He has the spiritual gift of shepherding and watches over a group of youths, guiding them in construction as He fills in the time with stories from the Bible. A structured setting is not comfortable for him and he works outside on the church grounds with his small group.

     Our fourth gifted believer loves to cook and to welcome new families to church. Preparing food and decorating have always come easily and she volunteers to set up the food for the family night of Vacation Bible School. Table decorations and food presentation are set just right and she stands behind the serving table as she welcomes each family using her spiritual gift of hospitality. She is in awe of the set design, the number of teachers and how organized the whole week has been. Luckily for her, others with those gifts have stepped up and she can be right where she belongs, one of the body, doing her part.

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:11-12

Lord,

The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He chooses. We will take our part with joy in doing the works You have planned for us. Show us where and how and teach us to work together as one. We are the body of Christ and it is in His name we pray.

Amen