The Smallest Member Matters
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:12-25;
Introduction:
During our last Youth Sunday service, Nikki spoke to the youth and told them that they could make a difference in this world. She stressed that it was not about how old they were; where they lived; how much money they had; or anything else that we adults use to differentiate between classes of people. She told them that what mattered was what they had within them and the choices they made. She gave several examples of children changing the world of others around them. This morning I want to follow through on what Nikki told us and stress to each of you that our smallest member (our youth) matters. This morning my message title is “The Smallest Member Matters.”
So let me start by telling you about the first pedicure I got with Nikki prior to our leaving for our short vacation to the beach. (Kids a pedicure is when someone professionally cleans and care for your feet.) When I first sat down in the chair there were two older ladies there who looked a little surprised to see a man there with his wife. One of the women thought it was funny and asked if I was doing it for Nikki for Mother’s Day – as if Nikki had made me do it. The other lady just stared at me as if I was in jeopardy of losing my man card by coming in the place. I assume the men of her generation would not ever be found getting a pedicure in public. I thought it was kind of funny as she stared at me off and on the whole time I was there. I admit I enjoyed the experience until the woman started beating on my legs. I asked the lady why she was doing that and what it had to do with my feet and she stated that it was to improve the circulation in my legs. I told her the way she was beating on them I probably would not have any circulation left. As she continued to work on my feet I watched the things she did and I thought about how we, especially men, do not necessarily take care of our feet, the smallest members of our body. It’s almost like since they are always in shoes no one sees them except the person who loves us the most. It does not matter if they have years of dead skin, corns, and calluses on them. It does not matter if the toenails are misshapen and folding under because they have not been clipped in a while. So what if the toes point in all sorts of different directions? No one knows but you and the people who love you so it should not matter. But it does matter! Your feet matters! Your toes especially matter! Now you may ask what does my having and living through my first pedicure have to do with the message for this morning. Well, as this is youth Sunday I want you to think about this Church as one body and our youth as it smallest members. I want you to see them as members who matter; that what they do matters. Back when I was a child the older members would always says that we (the youth) were the Church of tomorrow but I stand before you this morning to tell you that the youth are the Church of today. If we treat them as the church of tomorrow, their tomorrows will never arise and when they are our age they will still be baby Christians drinking milk! Let me use this analogy and then I will show you what the word of God says about it. I want to spend just a few minutes and talk about some of the smallest members of our natural body – our toes. Although they are often hidden and are small they play a major role in our ability to move from one place to another and our ability to stand. Consider these facts about your toes, the smallest members of your body:
• Although many people focus on the arches of the feet, it is actually the toes that need the focus. The toes, especially the great toe, play a vital role in normal arch functioning, both in the shock absorption and propulsion phases of walking. When you walk, your toes flex up on landing so the foot lands with the arch high like a shock absorber at full extension. Then the toes lower and the arch flattens dissipating shock in a control manner.
• The great toe being able to stabilize the arch in midstance and takeoff is critical for a functioning gait and normal arch function. When a person lose their great toe due to injury or infection they are left with a foot that is very unstable, with no ability to absorb shock and with limited to no propulsive properties.
• The toes also play a great role in our balance. Without the toes we would be forced to try and balance ourselves on the balls of our feet.
These ten small digits that often stay hidden within our socks and shoes play a vital role in our ability to stand (balance), walk or run. If you are a runner, the next time you run pay close attention to what your toes are doing. When each of you walk out of this building today, pay close attention to what your toes are doing and how they are helping you move from one place to another. Although they are small, they play a valuable role in our lives everyday. Now let me connect the dots for you.
Our youth, though they are small in age and number, they play a valuable role in the growth and health of this Church. They are not our future, they are our present. And just like we should take care of the toes on our feet because they are a valuable part of our body, we must do the same for our youth. We must take care of them and treat them as valuable, equal members of the body of Christ. Yes there are things they still need to learn but it must start right here, right now. Turn to 1 Corinthians the twelfth chapter. We read this in bible study on Thursday but I want to point out a couple of things. Let’s begin reading at verse twelve.
I. The Body Has Many Equal Members
“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another."
Although there are several lessons that can be taught from these verses, this morning I want you to focus primarily on the value that each member brings to the body of Christ. I want you to think about the fact that we are all working as one body and every job role is important, regardless of how large or small it is. If it needs to be done, then it is important. In this chapter Paul illustrates the Churches’ union with Christ and therefore each other by an allusion to the human body in which all the members have a mutual relation with each other. Let’s examine these verses more closely.
Verses 12-14 says “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.” Paul used the physical body to demonstrate how the Church body should operate. The body has many different operating parts, yet it is still one body. New Light has forty plus members but we are one body – New Light Christian Fellowship Church. Our one body is made up of many members who have been brought together and sealed as one by the Spirit of God. For this reason, every member matters. The meanest member is a part of the body as is the nicest. Every person who joins the body of Christ regardless of their personal outlook on life becomes a part of the body of Christ and hopefully in due time the life they live is changed by this relationship with Christ. Look at verses 15-17.
Verses 15-17 says “If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?” Do you not find it amazing that the same issues Paul was addressing some two thousand years ago we are still addressing today? Although there must be some distinctions between the members of the body, they are still part of one body. The distinctions are needed to ensure that the different job roles are carried out by members responsible for them. Paul was addressing how people determine who is important to the body of Christ. You see, we love to differentiate ourselves based on something. It might be my position in the Church or where I sit on Sunday morning. It could be my title or how close I am to the Pastor. There are many ways we use to try and determine who is the most important and what position is most desirable. For this reason Paul tells the people that all members of the body are important. Everyone has a role to play and it is everyone doing their individual jobs well that makes the Church work. I cannot turn my nose up at the greeter’s job because my job as pastor or musician is more important. You could not pay some people to be a good greeter because of what is within them. They cannot see past their own painful experiences to be able to greet someone else with the love of God. We must recognize this because who we place at the door will have an immediate impact on the visitors who choose to come and visit this place. They will either welcome them and make them feel at home or they will turn them away with their “non-loving” attitude. Paul was stressing that every job is important and if your job is small, it is still needed by the Church body and therefore you are a part of the functioning body. The roles that our youth play in this Church is important!
Verses 18-21 says “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." Read these verses clearly and accept what they say. In verse eighteen Paul says that God has placed the members, each and every one of them, just as He desired. If you are a member of this Christian body, the family of New Light Christian Fellowship, God has placed you here because He wanted you here. And because you are a member here, you have a role to play as a member of this body. In verses nineteen through twenty-one Paul stresses that no one can tell someone else that they are not a part of the body because of the role they play. I want to take it one step further. None of us can look down on someone else because we believe that our position is more important than someone else position. There is a reason that Paul says we should not place a new convert into a leadership position. The maturity for the position is not there and must be developed. This is what we are attempting to do with our youth. We are trying to develop them so that when they are running this Church they are doing so from a solid foundation of being trained to lead. Paul says that individual members cannot tell another member of the body that they do not need them. Even though Paul taught this, we find Christians doing it in Church all the time. They choose who they will talk to and who they will stay away from. This is not acceptable here at New Light. Remember, we are training our youth in how we teach them; and we are teaching them from books and through our actions. If you think you’re not being observed by these kids then you are sadly mistaken as they are watching everything. The same applies to your kids at home – they are watching you. We must stop blaming the kids for acting on things that we taught them – willfully and/or by neglect!
Verses 22-25 says “On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another." Here is the lesson that I want you to remember when you leave here today. Paul expresses that the weaker members are needed and those who are deemed to be less honorable we give more honor; and the less presentable members become much more presentable. How does this happen? By the actions we take. We will have members come through these doors that are hurting and in need. They will not know what they are needing and how to ask for it. But if they unite with this Church, we will give them the love and support they need until such time as they are able to break through the pain. This is on an adult level – but what about our youth? We must treat them as precious jewels. We must train them and keep their spirits high. We cannot let them think that because they are young what they do does not matter. We cannot let them think that because they are young that we cannot learn from them. We can never crush their spirits when we are interacting with them by making them feel ashamed or feeling like they failed us. I am talking to myself first and to each of you second. We have to make them a living, breathing part of this Church today!
In verse twenty-five Paul states that God “has composed the body and given abundant honor to those who lacked it so that there will be no division within the body.” In other words every member has what he/she needs to do what God has told them to do. No member, regardless of their personal issues has the right to judge, look down upon, or act as if their role is much more desirable or important than the role someone else is playing within the Church. All of us have a job to do and if we do that job well, this Church will succeed.
Conclusion
I want to ask your commitment to make sure our youth have everything they need from this Church in order to be a success. I want us to start by making sure they know that everything they do is important and needed - from conducting service on youth Sunday to their participation in the youth choir; to the outings they go on behalf of the Church to the lessons they learn and participate in here at the Church; from how we encourage them to how we constantly interact with them. They are important and we need to let them know it. On youth Sunday let’s show up early to support them. Parents instead of your children telling you that they need to be at Church at a certain time, you tell them. Get them up and let them know that what they are doing is important and that you will ensure what they are doing is given the time that is needed. We are sending our kids the wrong message and we must change it now. Let’s show them how important they are because in twenty years when I am Pastor Emeritus, one of these kids might be the one I am listening to for spiritual growth. I am expecting to be taught by them in the future – are you? I am asking this of you because our children, the smallest members of this body, matters. How they think matters. What they experience here, matters. They are important to the life of the Church; today, tomorrow and in the days to come.
For those of you reading this message and you are members of another Church – I ask the same of you. There are children at your Church that are seeking an example. They are seeking someone to show them how to walk with their Lord and Savior. Be that example for them! Do not wait to be asked, volunteer. If you cannot work with them, find time to encourage them when you see them at Church. There is always something that you can do. If you’re reading this and you do not have a Church home, you know some kids and potentially have some in your immediate family. Be an example for them. Let them know that the ways of this world are not the ways of God and that God is near them and wanting a relationship with them. It is not took late for us to plant a seed that will blossom later.
I thank all of you for your prayers during Nikki’s and my travels during the last three weeks – it is good to be back home. May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
