The sum of many parts

As I write this, I am cooling down from a concert that our Gospel group presented at Salvation Army Corps, Westville.

We have sung there many times over the years and have a special bond of fellowship and friendship with this body. We have been honoured to have presented the Gospel in song at many other churches throughout the county. I mention this only to demonstrate how we are the sum of many parts. We are all a reflection and a piece of the people we have contact, fellowship and live with. We may meet in different buildings, yet we belong to one church, God’s. As we go through life we are all massaged into the person and people that Jesus wants us to be. He does that by His messages from the pulpits, through the music of every worship team, and by the face-to-face interaction between us all.

Just as in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 where the scripture talks about the body of Christ working together, each of us are made up of the parts of others in our makeup. The traits we acquire are a result of who we hang with. My dear mother taught us a saying from a very young age. She said, “Show me your friends, and I show you your future.” This is so true, even today. When we connect through Christ if one gets a cut, another bleeds. When we pray, someone is lifted, and when we agree that Christ is our only saviour, then we are all a part of the body of Christ.

Some of us will be pastors, some will be singers. Some will lead Bible studies, and some will be prayer warriors. Some will greet at the door, and others will be content to work behind the scenes. When this is assembled, regardless of where we fellowship, then church happens. Church is not a building, rather a gathering of like-minded believers. When all of us allow our hearts and heads to get beyond man-made religion, and into God-made faith, then all of the parts of the body of Christ come into alignment.

We are the sum of those parts. I am part of you, just as you are a part of me. We are all separate and unique, yet woven together like a fine tapestry. So, when we attend a concert, or church service, look around. Look closely and you will see how God has put you together, one part, one person at a time.