September 21. Valuing The Entire Body Of Christ.

I have worked with persons with physical and mental challenges for most of my adult life.  You probably have too.  They are all around us-in the grocery store, at the day care center, waiting on us at our favorite restaurant, checking us out at the convenience store, cleaning our homes, cutting her hair, attending to us in the hospital.

We read, “members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members that we think are less honorable we clothe with great honor, and our less respectable members are treated with with greater respect…But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member…” from 1 Corinthians 12:22-24.

Our society does not always have the same reverence for those with physical and mental challenges.

As a leader, we have the power and the mandate to include all of God's body in the workings of our society. We have the power and mandate to value more than a person's ability to contribute to the bottom line. We can learn and teach others to value all of the people in God's body.

We can learn the names of those that are the indispensable. We can have a relationship with those that are indispensable. We can observe why some of the body of Christ are working two jobs or double shifts to make a living wage. We can make sure the indispensable are included, not just accommodated.

We can employ ones with physical and mental challenges. We can treat the indispensable as visible not invisible. Without them, our body of Christ is not complete.

Let us pray.

Gather us in, that we may remember the ties that bind us together in your love. Write your law upon our hearts, that others may find us to be generous and loving friends. Strengthen us by your spirit, that we may live in love, a love that transforms our lives, even as we help transform the lives of others. And all of god's people said, Amen.

Rev. Brenda Davids

Great Plains United Methodists