New Life
“But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part!” (1 Corinthians 12:18-19)
We hear mention of the Church as a body of different parts from time to time within the Church. This is an important reminder that everyone fits in a particular way. God created us to fit together. As I reflected on this passage this morning, my attention was drawn to the place that new cells have in the body.
Did you know that the skin cells in the outer layer of the skin have a lifespan of about 2-4 weeks. Below this outer level are other kinds of cells. Some of those cells, like red blood cells have a life span of 4 months. Nerve cells are thought to to have a life span of years.
What would our bodies look like and how would they function if new cells were never added to our body? In a matter of weeks our skin would disappear leaving a mess. After several months our blood would disappear leaving an even greater mess.
I apologize for the image this may create for you but I don’t want to apologize to greatly because there is something here that we need to pay attention to in the Church. The truth is that if there aren’t new cells being added to the body we know as the Church, we will be left with a mess that will eventually lead to death. No one laments the addition of new cells to your physical body. Whether we realize it or not, we are thankful for new life in our body. Why is it that too many times around the Church we lament the new life that joins our the body.
I think that is important for us to consider that new life is good life. New life is essential for life. Without new life we die. This is unacceptable when it comes to the body we know as the Church. If it has been a while since new life has been encountered in your life, pray for new life but don’t sit around waiting for it to happen. Do your part to created pathways for new life to find a home at the Church you are part of.
So … welcome new life today and be part of making your Church a place where new life, with all of its differences, is welcomed.