Because of Jesus I Am...نموونە

E Pluribus Unum - “Out of Many, One”

Verse - “For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.” (Romans 12:4-5)

Think - My family has been created through the wonders and complexities of international adoption – stretching us from a family of five in 2018 to seven in 2019, and we finally became a party of nine in 2020. All very different, each uniquely beautiful and specially designed to fit as God has knit our family in unique ways. One family, two nations, two languages, and many shades. Each member contributes in vital, valuable, and significant ways to the rhythm and rhyme of our daily lives. Everyone belongs.

As Paul was writing to house churches spread through Rome, he knew of the diversity that was becoming a significant part of the early Church. Many nations, traditions, and peoples represented a diversity of gifts, abilities, and contributions, all supplying to the flourishing (or dismantling) of the community. The early Church, many members, brought together as one body in Christ — a congregation of individuals in Christ, belonging to one another.

Apply - There is much that threatens to tear down, divide, and dislocate the body of Christ. Some who share Christ don’t feel as if they are a part simply because they look, vote, or live differently than the majority populations in our Christian congregations. Paul’s words challenge us to remember that those who share Christ not only belong to Jesus but also to one another.

What happens when we discover that we have brothers and sisters who feel as though they do not belong? Does this reality provoke humility and sincerity with those who feel like outsiders? Do we embody postures of listener and learner? Or do we get defensive, huddle with our comfortable consortiums, and pretend the problem lies with “them” and not with us? To sit with one who is hurting, to confess, repent, and lament our own or others' contributions to separation and pain. This is accepting and embracing the privileges and possibilities that exist for those who are a part of one body, a body where every member not only belongs to Christ but also to one another.

Pray - Father, thank you for making us one body. Give us the faith, hope, and love to live as one body, even when it is scary, challenging, and uncomfortable. May your name be glorified, and may we testify to your power and goodness by our example of unity. Amen.

Bio line - Chris Lenhart serves on staff at Calvary Monument Bible Church in Paradise. Together with their seven children, Chris and Sheila live in the community of Quarryville.