October 8, 2023: Parts of a Whole - Jonathan Merritt

In his letter to the church in Corinth Paul expounds at great length about the group of Jesus followers being together in unity- and as parts of a greater whole, also being together in diversity. This was not just diversity in their individual gifts, but also diversity in ethnicity, background, preferences, beliefs and practices. To hammer home his point, he compares this community to the body – a body, which is not their own, but the Body of Christ.  This phrase, which is well-known in Christian circles, points toward an invitation: it invites the reader to recognize we are a part of something far larger than ourselves or any one single local faith community. Paul’s metaphor points toward something as infinite as the universe, which is to say, it points to The Christ. What a powerful thought that we, like Jesus, are the flesh and bone manifestation of what has been true since before the foundations of the world. This is not just about us, our tribe, our way of doing things, our particular philosophy of leadership; together we are those who point toward the deepest of all mysteries by the way we live our lives in community.