THE FAMILY OF GOD

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-20

We were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body.

~~~1 Corinthians 12:13~~~

For our wedding anniversary, my husband and I received a picture designed with letter tiles from a Scrabble game. The letters created a crossword puzzle with my name, my husband’s name, and the names of all our children and grandchildren—depicting a family interdependent and united. Each letter was secured in place with glue. Removing even one letter would destroy the entire effect.

Because the puzzle is displayed prominently on our living room wall, we look at it often. The image of our interconnecting names helps us to feel closer to the members of our family who live at a distance. No, we do not always live in perfect harmony. No family does.

Church families do not always live in perfect harmony either. In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul used the human body as a metaphor for how the church family should work. Paul’s words remind us that we each have an important role to play in the work of God’s kingdom. Just as each letter in our crossword puzzle is vital to the whole picture, each person in the church is as important as the next in God’s kingdom. The question we each must ask ourselves is this: Am I where God wants me to be, doing what God wants me to be doing, this day? I have an important role in God’s kingdom.

Madeline Peterson(Nebraska)

Thy kingdom come, O God, thy will be done—on earth as it is in heaven. Amen

Jesus is coming! Are you ready?