This past Sunday if you were in worship with us or read the lectionary readings in the newsletter, you saw that in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he reminds them and us that those of us God has chosen are parts of the body of Christ. He goes on to say members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect whereas our more respectable members don’t need this. (1 Cor. 12:22-24)
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. says something similar, “. . . .It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality.” I believe this to be true. I believe God has created each of us according to His plan and that often we do not fully see God’s plan.
In the New Testament when the Apostles struggled with the idea of Jesus the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah being tortured and dying what was to them a disreputable death on the Cross, they clearly were not yet aware of God’s plan for our Salvation.
In the book of Job, as he suffers great loss and great pain, he begins to realize that he is questioning God and questioning things too wonderful for him to even comprehend.
In Genesis, after Joseph’s father, Israel dies and his brothers fear he will seek revenge on them for planning his murder and then ultimately selling him into slavery, he forgives them. He tells them what they intended for evil led to the fulfillment of God’s plan, allowing him to be instrumental in saving many lives. He says it is up to the Lord to judge their acts, not him.
It is my prayer, the next time someone angers or even irritates us, that we will pause for a moment. I pray we might take a breath and prayerfully reflect upon the fact that our God given differences give us different perspectives. Let us seek God’s will in how we treat each other.
As we see division all around us and live in a “cancel” culture where friend stops speaking to friend because they have a different view or appear to have different beliefs, let us as parts of the body of Christ model a different way of living, a Christian way of living. Let us be in relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ and our neighbors led by the Spirit of God. Let us change people’s lives through Christ!
Blessings,Pastor Peggy.