But God has so arranged the body … that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
~ 1 Corinthians 12:24b-27
You may have noticed that much of my writing and preaching has focused on our response or what we can do as people of faith. Lutherans have a somewhat complicated history with what we do because we want to be clear that there’s no relationship between what we do and our salvation, which is a free gift. As St. Paul writes in Romans 3: “they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” and “we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.”
The church is often compared to a body. You may have seen people who get very ill and have to stay in bed for a long time so they can heal. The purpose is to get better so life can get back to what it is supposed to be. After a long time in bed, muscles don’t remain strong and flexible; instead, they begin to atrophy. The body of Christ is not meant to atrophy. Even if we get ill, the purpose is to return to heath and get on with the life God has in store for us.
Some of my recent reading has focused on the development of our society and the movement from people considering themselves “citizens” of our culture to “consumers”. You’ll hear more about this in the coming months. The idea is that we are called to be citizens who are really part of our community as opposed to consumers who have no real relationship with the community yet expect certain services.**
Within the church, there is movement in our relationship to the community of Bethel. We all begin as visitors. At some point, we become more comfortable and we start getting involved in the life of the church. Membership is mostly about a formal, public declaration as if we’re saying “This is my church and these are my people.” But participation in the body of the church doesn’t stop with membership. Becoming a member is like becoming married. There is a point in time and a change in status. But the relationship grows from there for the rest of your life. Over time, there is constant adjustment and change, but still … growth!
Visitor → Attender → Member → Disciple
This is the way of the Christian life in community. I plan to spend some time considering how together we can ensure against atrophy and embrace health instead.
In Christ,
Pastor Jeff
* Title Scripture from Romans 12:5
** “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). This was also the theme of the National Youth Gathering 2012.
Epicurious Lutheran 