You cannot opt out of spiritual obligations
JOE MILLER JR.
1 Corinthians 12:1-31

I consider this one of the most elegant of Paul's writings. The metaphor of the human body to describe the one body of Christ (the church) and the truth of one Spirit (from which all spiritual gifts come) have both undergirded the church through 2,000 years, and given each generation a model on which to build the contemporary church.

Historical interpretation of this text has focused on two important themes that Paul emphasized. The church is unified in diversity. While there are many varied gifts of the Spirit, they are all given to build up the church, not to give individuals the means to boast. Secondly, the church is an egalitarian organization. All gifts are important to the life of the church just as the various members of the human body give life to the body.

My good friend, Rick Goodrich, preached a sermon many years ago on the fictional land where "people were all thumbs." Just imagine that you had 5 thumbs and no fingers on your hands. Every time the carpenters would hammer a nail they were bound to hit at least one thumb. The people could not tie their shoes, button their clothes, hold a fork to eat, and so on.

This is a somewhat humorous fable, but it makes a good point. We preachers like to feel self important, but the person who stands at the entrance to the sanctuary and welcomes visitors and members is just as important. Different gifts for different folks. Everyone is not a Sunday School teacher.

However, there is one small portion in this text that I have not heard mentioned, and I just noticed it. (A digression: Is it not amazing how the bible can speak to us every time we study it?) Verses 15-16 state that a part of the body cannot opt out of the body.

"If the foot would say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body."

No matter what our own personal gift is, we are members of the body of Christ and have to contribute our Spiritual gifts to the building up of the church. We cannot opt out. No gift is too small, and no gift is too big. What is your gift? Are you giving it to your church? Email me at newtonumc@ valornet.com with your thoughts.

Joe Miller Jr. is pastor of First Unitied Methodist Church in Newton.