I just got off an airplane, part of a journey to see our daughter. She and her husband live in the state just next door which sounds like it should be close, but of course Texas is enormous. By car the trip from my front door to hers is 14 hours, but by airplane the bulk of the distance is covered in only an hour and a half! This is wonderful, the only drawback being that it is usually a very tiny plane. My seat-mate today was a woman in my own abuela age group, who told me she was finishing 30 hours of flying to get home after a long work assignment. She slept almost the entire hour and a half, which is understandable after all that traveling. But what struck me is how she crossed herself and prayed as we were speeding down the runway to takeoff. It always ministers to me to see people express their faith in and love for God. I may never see her again until heaven, but her prayer blessed me today. As I am writing this, it is also Sunday, and just two weeks until the most important Sunday of the year… Resurrection Sunday. What an amazing thing it is to think of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for all of us! God the Son left the glory and majesty of heaven to come here to this broken earth, to live such an uncelebrated life and to die such an ignominious death, so that we could be with Him forever. This is cause for serious celebration, and the days leading up to Easter can fill us with fresh wonder and gratitude for all Jesus has done. When we were very young, and just starting out in life and ministry, it used to be common in our kind of fellowship for someone to sing a “special.“ Do you remember these? Some of you will for sure, and you will also remember that some of them were very special, indeed! Regardless of how good any of us were at this church karaoke, I did my part back in those days and sang quite a number of these special songs. One of my favorites of all time was the Twila Paris song How Beautiful, and I've had that song in my head all day today, "How beautiful is the body of Christ!" Of course, this term "The Body of Christ" can cause us to reflect on several different things. It refers first to the literal, physical body of Jesus: His hands that reached out to heal and deliver, His face that was bright with a welcoming smile even women and children could trust, His mouth that spoke the wonderful news of His Kingdom wherever He went, His back that bore such terrible stripes so that our bodies could be healed, His heart that broke under the terrible weight of the sins of the world, His hands and feet that were pierced and immobilized so that we could know true freedom, His side that was pierced and allowed the water and the precious blood to flow freely. How beautiful is the body of Christ! And then there is another lovely meaning; how beautiful is the spiritual body of Christ. I think of my seat-mate today, and wonder what her story is. English was her second language, so I can guess that our stories are different, save for the most important part of the beautiful Savior that we both know and love. How beautiful are my brothers and sisters all over the world, who have the same precious blood of Jesus Christ flowing in their hearts and lives. The gospel message has spread for over 2000 years now, from the holy land in which Jesus lived and died, rose again, and ascended into heaven, all across time, all around the globe. How beautiful is every hand extended in the name of the Savior, and every foot that takes a step to share the great news with neighbors near and far. How beautiful is the body of Christ! Each of us has our own story which is a small part of His glorious story, and this is another facet of the Body of Christ. We have had our own joys, victories, struggles, even tragedies, and the Lord works through these in each of our hearts and lives, to transform us into the image of His beautiful son. Every joy that we experience, He rejoices along with us and broadens our hearts with His goodness. Every struggle that we face, He is right there, faithful to give us grace to endure and be strengthened in the process. Corrie ten Boom had such a wonderful illustration of this with the embroidery that she often carried with her. She would hold up the back of the piece, which always looks like a terrible knotted jumbled mess, and point out that each of our lives seems similar looking from that angle - like a big random mess. But when you turn it around and see from God‘s perspective, it is a beautiful work of art… a masterpiece. (Eph. 2:10) Take that a step further: collectively, our lives paint a picture of our heavenly Father and His Kingdom. Each of us in Christ's body reflect a different piece of His character. He knit each of us together in our mothers' wombs, and is brilliant in the way that He brings us together in our own generation, time, and location to show a watching world His goodness and faithfulness, His mercy and His grace. Our stories and our lives are connected and can work together to accomplish His purpose in our own generation. How beautiful is the body of Christ! Is there someone that you are having a hard time appreciating, someone who also professes faith in Christ? Perhaps someone has mistreated you, slandered you, hurt you. Stop and think again – you are both part of this beautiful body of Jesus. Can the thumb despise the knee? Should the ring finger wish ill upon the liver? It sounds silly to say such a thing, but this is reality. No matter what someone has done or said or even thought, the blood of the Savior of the world flows through each of our veins, and we cannot be at odds with one another in Christ's body. His grace and forgiveness have been lavished upon each of us, and we must extend the same grace and forgiveness to one another. How beautiful is the body of Christ! As we come nearer to the most holy day of the year, let our hearts be filled with wonder at the beauty of Christ and His body. Let our faith be strengthened and renewed; let our hope be built as we wait for His soon return; let our minds be renewed again through the washing of His word. May we be able to forgive even our worst enemies in the same lavish and generous way God has forgiven us, and treat others the way we wish to be treated. May we love Him with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and may we love each of our neighbors as we love ourselves. Let your light shine brightly this week as you rest in the fact that you are an important and significant part of the beautiful body of Jesus Christ! Comments are closed.
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Hi! I'm Mary - mother to two wonderful grown daughters, wife to an incredible husband, and loving our life in the piney woods of Texas... (read more!)
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September 2024
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