Bible Readings: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;(Psalm 139. 13 - 14)
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ… God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable… Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12. 12, 19 – 22, 27)
A Thought If I am watching television during the evening or going on a long car journey, I can usually be found knitting. This has proved most beneficial in keeping all the grandchildren well supplied with woolly jumpers, cardigans and hats. However, on Sunday Alex sparked off my train of thought in a different direction, when it comes to knitting.
Alex began by telling us about some of the competitors in the Olympics and the vast teams of people who had enabled them to get to Tokyo. There are the obvious people like their coaches, physios, and technical support, but behind the scenes there are also a whole range of others: family and friends who encouraged them and ran a taxi service to practices; the gym, swimming pool or track where they first took an interest in their sport; the trainers who spotted their talent, and so on. However, there are also the less obvious people who contributed in some way to get them to Tokyo, by writing letters of support or helping to raise the necessary funds. Every little contribution has been vital to the final result, knitted together in an amazing way over time.
Alex went on to talk about the group of predominantly elderly ladies who had made up the congregation of the midweek service she frequented prior to confirmation. In her mind, these ladies were renowned for their knitting and their colourful shopping trolleys. However, the vicar had been keen to point out, that although these ladies had played a more active role in the church in the past, they were now a vital powerhouse of prayer (and knitting) behind the scenes. Perhaps as they knitted intricate patterns, this sparked their prayers for the complexities of the church?
When we look at the human body and what it is capable of, made even more amazing by some of the sporting prowess of the Olympics, we can see that we are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. This amazing human body is then the image which St Paul uses to describe the church. Each one of us is called to play our part in the Body of Christ. The gifts of some are obvious, but others may think we have little to offer. However, every single person is vital, knitted together in the most extraordinary way. As I knit on, I too will be praying that the Body of Christ in the benefice will be knitted together in a wonderful intricate pattern under the watchful eye of the Holy Spirit.
A Prayer Creator God, may we see the Body of Christ knit together within the churches and communities of our benefice in amazing and wonderful ways. Amen.
One is the body by John Bell