Koinonia

I Corinthians 12:12-27

One Body with Many Parts

"The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.  This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it."

I had the opportunity to see this in action on Sunday. A good friend of mine from college recently joined the advisory board for Amazima ministries. This is the non-profit started by Katie Davis, whose blog I highly recommend to EVERYONE! My friend wanted to organize a West Coast fundraiser for the organization and recruited a small team of friends to make it happen.

I arrived in Newport Beach, CA on Sunday morning to help set up for the event, which was scheduled to begin at 6pm that evening. From the time I got there I was able to see first hand this passage from Corinthians lived out. It was so fun to see how someone who can make flowers become a bouquet, make picture frames become a work of art, and make mason jars and twine become ambiance, turn a driveway into a high class evening affair. There were organizers who could foresee needs before they arose, track details from start to finish and make the big picture become the realized dream. There were willing hands ready to be tasked and serve and see the job through to completion.

And everything flowed in this beautiful “body.” The hand needed the eye. Without a foot it wouldn’t have gotten done. Yet with each of the different talents and gifts given to each of us by God, we got to see this amazing evening become a reality. As a team who share a love for God and a passion for caring for the poor, the widow and the orphan, we had a common ground to pull all of the pieces together and work towards one cause. It was beautiful. Literally. Away from our kids for the day, we were given the chance to spread our wings and use the talents we don’t always get to tap into in between potty training and play dates. What a refresher for the soul.

Then we got to meet and hear from Katie Davis first hand. I really want to be like her when I grow up. She is 21. She moved to Uganda when she was 18. She runs a feeding program for over 1200 kids in a poor slum. She has coordinated the sponsorship of 400 kids so they can be fed and get an education. She has adopted 14 kids. She doesn’t run an orphanage, she has adopted them, she is their mother. She is 21.

I got to talk with her mom and dad. I asked them to write a book about how they raised their daughter, because I would really like to know. ;-) Then I listened as another friend of mine spoke about Katie and her ministry. He talked about how one of the things that stands out about the way she lives her life is that she takes each person in front of her and gives them all of her attention, to determine how to serve and help them in the moment. She is making things better, one person at a time.

In a world of overwhelming sin and sadness, poverty and depravation, we can lose sight of the hope that anything we do will make a difference. But I was reminded and encouraged to press on, helping, serving, one person at a time.