This week’s scriptures are: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6,8-10, Psalms 19, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Luke 4:14-21
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you, from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
There is a joke that I am sure most of you have heard. The joke tells of the different body parts talking about which one is in charge. We know how that went……………….sometimes in life, it really seems that the biggest pains in the butts are the ones “in charge”. Reality is that person is only “in-charge” by the grace of God.
Sometimes we go to our Churches and the members who are rude, difficult to get along with or just so “sugary sweet" that it makes you want to vomit, are the same ones appointed to leadership positions. How can this be?
In today’s readings, I found something about each one that made me want to write about it. However, what sticks out most to me are the readings from 1 Corinthians and Nehemiah.
You see, I’ve gone to Church most of my life. I’ve read these same scripture verses many times. However, I don’t remember reading them on the same day.
When read back to back like this, it spoke to me. You see, with a father in the military, we moved around. In my childhood, we lived in Texas, New York, back to Texas, two places in Michigan, in Illinois while my Dad went to Korea, on to California and then back to Texas. All of this was by Christmas break my third grade year.
Even while living in El Paso (the last time), we ended up at different Churches. A Lutheran Church, a Presbyterian Church, a military Chapel………………………well, you get the hint. Add to that I’d often go to Church with my Baptist and Catholic friends and family. I was exposed to a lot of different ways to worship.
When I would read these scriptures before, I always thought of “body” being the Congregation at that one Church. The parts of that body being the members of the Congregation. Each member is important to get the work of the “body” done.
You know, I KNEW that each believer was a part of the body of Christ. However, it wasn’t until today that I realized that each CHURCH CONGREGATION is a part of the body of Christ.
Think about it this way. If we only had one body part, which one would it be? Would it be the head? Just one giant head floating around? Or maybe it’d be the foot. One giant foot, just………….there!
How would that body part get anything done? Would it be “worth” anything?
God is GREAT! God is ALL knowing! That is why He created us and not the other way around. He did such a good job, that no two of us are EXACTLY alike. Oh, we all have things in common. We have our similarities.
Each of us has a head. Each of us has a brain. We each have a heart. We all have eyes, ears, mouths and on and on. And yet we’re all different in some way.
So it is with the body of Christ. Each denomination is unique. There’s similarities between the denominations, but they’re not the same. They all believe in and worship God. They all believe in and worship Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But each one worships a little different. Each one believes a little different. Still one God the Father. Still one Christ. Still “Christians”. Just different.
Break it down further. Each congregation within a denomination has similarities, but each one is different. They may all believe the same things about God, but not worship EXACTLY alike. They may not have the same congregational structure. Still one denomination.
Have you ever noticed that some denominations are very quiet and reverent during services? Some are loud and joyous during services. Some raise their hands in praise? Some sit stoic throughout their service. Some congregations do little more than sing throughout their services, while others don’t sing a single hymn.
Nehemiah 8:6 says: “Then Ezra Blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting their hands.”
What’s so foreign to some of us, has been happening in worship services for thousands of years.
At today’s conservative congregations, this practice would be frowned upon. However, that congregation, that worship style, is meeting the needs of individuals within the body of Christ.
Go to a Baptist Church, a Pentecostal Church, a lot of “Non-Denominational” Churches and try to sit quietly. You quickly feel uncomfortable just sitting there. By the end of the service you’ll probably have one or more people ask if everything is ok or can they pray for you.
So, today I realized that not just each of us within a congregation are members of the body of Christ, I realized that each congregation, each denomination is a part of the body of Christ with a very specific purpose/job.
Each denomination has its own purpose, meeting the spiritual needs of different congregations. Each congregation within a denomination has its own purpose, meeting the needs of different people within the individual congregations. Each individual has their own purpose, meeting God and fulfilling His will.
Thank God that we ARE all different. What a boring world this would be otherwise.
So this week, and every week, stand when you hear the word of God. Say “Amen, Amen” at the end of the reading of the word. Lift your hands when you praise Him. Or not. Either way, praise God for WHO you are, for WHERE you are, for what YOU can do for the body of Christ and for loving each of us enough that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to live and die for us. Praise God for the sunshine. Praise Him for the rain. Praise Him for everything. For without God, the world would be a void that none of us would be able to imagine or survive.
I praise God for each of you reading this. I praise God for the life I’ve lived and am still living. I praise God for the bumps in the road. I praise Him for the good people and the good times.
Standing if we’re able, hands held high or down at our sides, may we all praise Him throughout this week. May we all remember that through all of our differences in the way we believe and worship, we are ALL a part of the body of Christ and may we rejoice in that knowledge.
Amen, Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen, Amen.
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