Building Up the Body

The Letter to the Ephesians urges the church there and us to understand ourselves as the body of Christ.  "Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with with it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love (Ephesians 4:15-16).  

This summer I have focused on my health and exercise.  I’ve lost some weight and gained strength and stamina. But there are aches and pains that come with it. Good aches and pains. As my leg muscles strengthened, I pulled a calf muscle…which slowed me down for a week. My hamstrings are always tight from sitting so much. As my leg muscles strengthened, my lower back seized up.  When my knee started talking to me, my chiropractor taught me that the ligament band on the outside of my leg needed stretched.  It was pulling on the knee.  He recommended me using a rolling pin and rolling my leg over it.

The body systems all work together. When one over functions it affects another part. When one part under functions another part compensates and gets over worked and burned out.  Getting everything working properly smoothly is the goal, task, of healers, trainers, and coaches. The church body, like a team has to work together.  Everyone has a gift.  Everyone has a role in this ministry.

Daniel James Brown’s book, “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics,” tells the story of the Univ. of Washington’s crew team story, of life during the great depression, of the Nazi regime and it’s quest for racial, genetic, ideological purity.  Scattered throughout the book are the most beautiful descriptions of team, I know.    

Here is one excerpt and example…

"Great crews may have men or women of exceptional talent or strength; they may have outstanding coxswains or stroke oars or bowmen; but they have no stars.  The team effort—the perfectly synchronized flow of muscle, oars, boat, and water; the single, whole, unified, and beautiful symphony that a crew in motion becomes—is all that matters.  Not the individual, not the self" (p. 178).

I think there is a reason why this story wasn’t written and published until recently.  As a culture, we're not doing too well working together.  We humans are all in the same boat of this planet. We need to stop trashing it and work together in order to survive and thrive. We Americans are all in the same boat of this nation. We need our elected officials to stop grandstanding, and work together for the common good of all. We Christians are in the same boat, the body of Christ, the church. We need to stop demonizing others whom we do not understand, and work together.  However, we seem hell bent on bowing to the smelly idol of narcissistic individualism, and building altars to the personal interest of me, my and mine! Saying to hell with anyone else, if it does not serve “my” interest.

Rather we are called “to live a life worthy of our calling, to live and work together in unity, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bold of peace”  (Ephesians 4:1-3).  And we do so with the power of the Holy Spirit at work in and through each of us.

I commend the witness of the Pine Island Presbyterian Church.  We are a small congregation, but do great things.  Everyone has an important role.  We understand each other, and when someone is over burdened, there is understanding.  Burn out comes easy in this culture, and in churches.  Let's model the better way of life synchronized by Christ, who wants all to thrive.  We do so when we work together for the whole.  

I am cherishing a more balanced life as I serve among you.   Some of us are living pedal to the medal, as they say.  May our worship time together provide you time and space to breathe and catch your breath.