The
Complete Body of Jesus - or those I choose?
Richard Copsey - Living Water
Trust
To the Body of Christ in Wales - Greetings from Wavemakers, Living Water and East Anglia (or should that be as far as the East is from the West)
We're looking forward to making the across country run to be with you in August for Wavemakers' third visit to the Flames of Fire conference
In the April edition Phil Rees wrote in his chairman's letter of the need to fellowship one with another, to put our relationships right with our brothers and sisters, that we might share in the one bread and drink from the one cup and experience the body of Christ working together as our Lord intended
There is a sense in which we read articles and say - Yes, Yes, I agree with that, then sit back and wait for the next article, or leave it for someone else to do, but for us personally the thought of having to take some action, seems so often to escape us "God speaks but man does not perceive it" (Job 33. 14). I sometimes feel it would be easier to enter the ' World's Strongest Man' Competition and pull the aeroplane along the course than to encourage our parishioners to follow Jesus' example, take a towel and wash the feet of the disciples.
Somewhere we have lost the concept of fellowship and servanthood, in an overwhelming rush to be at the front of the queue to receive our own blessing, to be ministered to, and dare I say it be first in line to maintain our own uninterrupted time of corporate worship. We have become a very self-orientated people 'Me first, - every one and everything else comes second'.
There is a place to be 'selfish' about our relationship with the Lord and that is in the secret place. Jesus said that when you pray, you should go into the secret place, shut the door and pray thus "Our Father who is in heaven... " the rest I trust you know. Jesus also reminds us that the first and greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength". Having such a passion, it's no surprise that the world would recognise Jesus in us Like Moses of old just having been with the Father, his face shone. Yet how many of us would guard this secret time with 'Our Father' as jealously as we attempt to do, over our worship times when we are gathered together. Surely the principle place for individuality is in secret.
Jesus said the second commandment is this; "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself". As Jesus said, if the second is like the first, then that same passion in our relationship to God should apply to those around us, and especially with our brothers and sisters when we gather together for our corporate act of worship. Where one has a psalm, a hymn, a spiritual song etc.
This is how our worship should be, all the parts of the body working together and fully involved. Each one needing and preferring the other, so bringing forth a sacrifice of praise and worship that is acceptable to God.
However experience shows that even in the same room, the relationship between the feet and the shoulder blades, appear miles apart. We have become so used to the ' I see it or do it my way' syndrome that we haven't noticed that parts of our body are being ignored. (Ignore them for too long and it's definitely not a fragrant offering) Worst still, by which time it's probably too late, we haven't noticed, nor seem to been bothered, by the fact that parts of the body have been amputated or are certainly in a moribund state.
Are we even aware that 1000 children a week aged 15 and under are leaving the church.
In 1989 - 10% of the adult population & 14% children (15 and under) attended Church.
In 1998 - 8% of adults but only 7% of children attended some form of Church.
Had we noticed and are we concerned? We should be.
Whilst this article is not principally a plea for the children, I do as both a worship leader and a children's ministry co-ordinator (Wavemakers), recognise the frustration expressed by both children's workers and youth leaders about the lack of understanding for these two parts of Christ's Body. (re-read the article by Nigel James in the last issue). Even in making that statement we have expressed what so often happens in the Church. We make the mistake of seeing these ministries as separate limbs functioning somewhere out there on the extremities, rather than parts of our body which need to be protected and surrounded by an environment which encourages growth.
The priests complained at Jesus for letting the children disturb the temple worship (as adults we often do the same) and when the disciples stopped the children from breaking through the crowds, Jesus was indignant and took those who had been pushed aside, brought them to himself and blessed them.
I believe that Jesus would have been indignant over any group of people who were side-lined or marginalised by others demanding their right to be first in the queue
As the hymn 'Dear Lord and Father of Mankind' says, we need God to forgive our foolish ways, and reclothe us in our rightful mind, then, in purer lives His service find, then in deeper reverence we'll praise. Are we prepared to recognise we have been self-orientated, thinking only of ourselves? And are we now prepared to humble ourselves and pray for His forgiveness? For only then will He hear our cry and come and heal our land. We need the fellowship of the whole body to help us understand, trust and help each other as we seek to express the true nature of our God, so shall our communion truly become the feast of celebration, victory and fellowship.
That's how God planned it to be.