By: Elizabeth Haarberg

Individuals Within the Body

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

There is a saying in sports, “There is no ‘I’ in “TEAM.” Being an athlete for many years and then a coach for years after, I’ve wondered about this phrase. A team is a collective group of people, it is a system, a unit. Any changes in the individuals who are on the team, someone leaving or coming in, changes the dynamics of the team. A clock is a good example of what happens when a person leaves or comes to a team. If a part in a clock changes, the clock will not work properly; it will need to be adjusted.

The body of Christ is a unit of people, individuals, who work in tandem. Any changes to that group, and the system moves in a different direction. Humans are uniquely wired to see the world through different lenses. For example, if you read the Gospel and the way the disciples recorded the same events from a different viewpoint provides understanding to this idea.

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
1 Corinthians 12:27 English Standard Version

“So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another [mutually dependent on one another].” Romans 12:5 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

Notice in the above verses, it doesn’t say “now that you are within the body of Christ you are no longer an individual,” it says the opposite. Our individuality is important to maintain within the body, this uniqueness to the unit creates the movement of the body.

I’ve heard the phrase, “unity is not conformity,” and it seems to fit in this conversation. Theology may be slightly different from one person to another and doctrine may not be exactly the same in a group, but the most important piece is we love God and we love each other.

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

Matthew 22:37 New International Version

You are an important piece of the team of Christ and the body is depending on you to show up in the unique way you are called, but remember, the calling is from God, not our flesh.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado