Rejoicing Together

God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 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.  (I Corinthians 12:24-26, New Revised Standard Version)

We as a church do a very good job of praying for each other in times of need. Our prayer chain is full of names and concerns of people who have are hurting, suffering, and mourning. We place our cares and concerns at the foot of the cross, asking for God to provide comforting, healing and wholeness, and seek God’s direction for how we can be of help to those in need. I believe it is good for us to do so. Even if it may seem at times our prayers go unanswered, or the answers we get are not what we want to hear, we place what is on our hearts before God, for there is comfort in knowing God is with us, and those for whom we pray. And I believe God does hear our prayers, and answers our prayers. I also know that there is great comfort and power in knowing that others are praying for you. And I do believe God still works miracles (ever see the birth of a child?). If it is on your heart, lift it up to God. As St. Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.”

We do good job of praying for those in need. But how often are our prayers filled with prayers of thanksgiving and rejoicing. In the passage above, St. Paul says if one member of the church (the body of Christ) is honored, all rejoice together with it. I remember a time a few years ago when we had several prayer requests before the congregation I served of people who were hurting. It seemed as if every day there was another concern to share. As we were sending out another round of prayer requests, I received word that two members of the congregation, John and Betty, were engaged. The two had both lost their spouses years before to illness, and had been living alone for quite some time. They were both active in the church, and everyone knew them well. I asked that we put this good news on the prayer chain immediately. How important it is to share in the suffering, but also to share in the rejoicing.

Soon after we started the prayer chain for John and Betty, I received a call from a member of the church. She thought it was a joke, and refused to pass the message along until she was sure it was true. You see, John always served as an usher at church, and during the service, he would wander the building to make sure no one came in to steal a purse or a coat. Betty, on the other hand, sat in the third pew every Sunday and took copious notes of the sermon. The two were never seen together, and no one in the church even knew they were dating! Talk about your miracles! Well, I assured the member that the rumor was true, and that in the midst of all the suffering, this was good news to share.

John and Betty were married and had many blessed years together. And with John and Betty, we rejoiced!

If it is on your heart, lift it to God, and may we live our lives in community, bearing one another’s sorrows, and celebrating in each other’s joys!

A different translation (paraphrase) of the passage:

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.  (I Corinthians 12:25-26, The Message)

Peace,

Pastor Charlie