We are one body with many parts

One of the things I love about Christianity is that I’m invited to contribute to God‘s world and His Kingdom. What an honour! And it’s not because God is lazy – it’s that he knows how satisfying and rich it is to make a good contribution.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul shares a famous analogy about the church. He says ‘we are one body with many parts,’ and that we all have a part to play for the body to function wonderfully. The eye contributes sight, the ear contributes hearing, and so on. But if we take the analogy further, there are things that can appear in our bodies that contribute horrid things – certain bacteria, cancer, and as we know all too well – viruses. These things can also be part of the body, and they do not contribute ‘nothing’ – they contribute something. Unfortunately, those contributions are toxic, often ending in pain, illness or even death.

As we set out to do Term 3 together, let us remember – we all contribute something. We contribute something to our school, our homes, our nation, our world, and God’s kingdom. God values us when he trusts us to contribute. So let’s make sure those contributions are good ones, because we’re all in this together.

Damien Whitington
Senior Chaplain