Members of the Body of Christ

June 19, 2020

Good afternoon,

" For just as the body is one and has many members , all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit,  we were all baptized into one body—- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free —- we were all made to drink of one Spirit….. But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. "  

Community is one of the main themes in Mennonite belief and practice. We want to invite new people into our circle ( or pandemic bubble ? ) of faith. We believe that the message of Jesus is an invitation to everyone. But, we have found it hard. We like our community, and when others arrive, we might have to change. New people change the community. They have new gifts to offer God and the church. We like to play the " Mennonite " or "Amish " game. We want to be able to situate people and their history. The game we play is both bonding for some, and a barrier for others.

As noted yesterday, there were at least two separate groups in the Corinth community. Jews and Greeks were part of the community. They were the members of the same body, a new body in Christ. I assume Paul wanted to tell them this about being " one"  because one group ate pork, and the other did not. And now, Paul invites both slaves and free people, to be part of this new faith community. This is not only religious, but also economic and  political. " You are not going to allow slaves to be part of our group !", might be what a Jewish believer might have said, after he heard this part of the letter from Paul. We might think Paul was conservatie, but this is a very radical thing to say in that society.

It is hard to be welcoming. After a long section of the letter, Paul says that he is going to tell them a more excellent way. We can have a place for everyone. Every part of the human body makes up the wonderful people that we are. That is what the church should be ? We all have a role, the feet, the eyes and the ears…

Who do we have to welcome at Poole ? Can we now do it virtually ? Send this blog, " Ponder Anew " to people whom you think might appreciate it.

Prayer

Eyes for wisdom,

Voice for the prophetic,

Ears for patience,

Feet for compassion

Arms for love,

We are the body of Christ,

Altogether now.

For the sake of the Gospel,

We must welcome all who come,

To our doors, our windows, and our gardens.   AMEN

Fred

Tread on bold new paths !

Fireflies flash the direction

Hope springs eternal           Monica Pieper Landoni 2020

Fred Redekop

Pastor

Poole Mennonite Church