You Are The Body Of Christ

Today we celebrate the baptisms of three children of our congregation. A lot of things are happening in a baptism. Their parents are asking for God's blessing on their children and making promises to provide Christian nurture for them. God is making a statement to the children, that he loves them and wants them to be his for all of time. And baptism is an initiation into the church, the family of God. So I want to look for a moment at just two verses in the first chapter of Ephesians which say some amazing things about the church. And as we talk about these statements, remember, its not talking about some theoretical church. Its talking about us.

Let me read for you Ephesians 1:22-23. You can find them on page 192 of the New Testament section of your pew Bible. The first half is referring to Jesus Christ when it says "him," the second part refers to his church.

"And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."

We are his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

There was a day when Jesus walked this earth as a human being. He looked just like us. He would walk to a village and tell people about God's love. He would touch those who were ill and heal them. He would befriend those who were treated as outcasts by everyone else. And then he would go to another village and do the same things again, over and over. He was physically there. But then they killed him, he does not walk on earth in such a body anymore.

How is he going to touch anyone today, physically? Through us. How is he going to befriend the outcast today? Through us. And, of course, God does sometimes do things in a direct, spiritual way without any human touch. But primarily he works through us, his body. If you pray for something to happen, don't just sit back and wait for him to do something mystical. If you are listening for the answer to his prayer, he may very well show you how you can be the answer, because you are his body.

When we touch someone in love in his name, then it is his touch. When we help someone who is in trouble it is him working through us. We are his body.

One of the fun parts of being a pastor is that people more easily identify you with God's care. I remember very clearly going over to the house of a family one night after I got a phone call that they were in a crisis. The wife told me that just seeing me made her feel so much better. I know it wasn't because of how handsome I looked or the smart things I said. I know what she meant. When I was there, she sensed that Jesus was there. I was there because Jesus loved that family. Because I am his body. And all of us can be Christ in that way. You are his body.

We are the body, and he is the head of the body. And you know what the head does for the body. The head is the brains of the outfit. The head has the eyes and the ears and the nose to know what is going on at a distance. Christ is the one who knows all things, who sees all things. He knows so much more than we do.

The head controls the central nervous system, telling all the other parts of the body how to work together.

Once I was in a group in the Netherlands that needed to raise three thousand dutch guilders quickly. That was about a thousand dollars. There were maybe 100 people in a meeting. The leaders asked us to all pray and ask God if we should contribute, and specifically how much we should contribute. And I think that God guided all 100 people except maybe one, because we messed up a little. We needed 3,000 guilders. The offering added up to 3,003 guilders, three guilders too much.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if churches always worked together with such beautiful coordination? I fear that when God calls us to do a project its more like an unruly kindergarten class, with one kid looking out the window, another one making mischief by pestering someone, another one rearranging his desk, and going off in every direction.

But as we all grow up and learn to listen to him and focus our lives on obedience, he really becomes the head of the church and can guide us to work together as a smooth and effective team.