March 12, 2021
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
- Ephesians 4:4-7
Around the year 1767 a man named John Silsbury was a mapmaker in London. One day he mounted one of his maps on a piece of hard wood, cut around the borders of the countries and made the first jigsaw puzzle as an aide for teaching children geography. In the late 1800’s with the invention of cardboard the idea really caught on as more than just a tool for education, but an enjoyable way to have fun and pass the time.
I’m sure everyone has put together jigsaw puzzles at some time or another. What starts out as a bunch of cut up pieces with persistence and time, with endurance and staying power, eventually comes together to form a picture. One strategy for working a puzzle is to start with the corners and the edge pieces first and work your way in. That defines the borders and the sets the framework for seeing the big picture. That creates the vision and the dream of what the finished goal looks like.
God the Father, through Christ the Son, and with the Holy Spirit puts us together in his kingdom.
Christ forms us into a holy body from an individual piece, a group of pieces who are united in purpose, mission, and love for one another and love for the Lord. The whole body fitting together, that is the kind of church we should want to belong to. One that Christ is directing, one that is relying on the movement of the Holy Spirit. A community of faith that God has brought together, and is leading and growing to reflect a heavenly kingdom.
The kingdom is the overall puzzle, but each church is a little part of that puzzle. When we are directed by Christ, when we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit everything fits together. Everything works when we allow Christ to join His divine life to ours.
In this way we become the pieces God uses to make a kingdom of the divine choosing.
People tend to believe in the mantra 10% of the people do 90% of the work, but the truth is, if only 10% are doing anything, then everything isn’t getting done. God has a bigger plan in store, and the Holy Spirit is urging, we just need to open our ears and open our hearts and listen.
You, each of you, need to understand that what you do matters for the kingdom of God. You can make a difference in the world, in this community, in this church. You are a leader, you just may not realize it yet.
The way you live. The things you do. The things you say create a picture of what's possible. People look at you and will say, "If she can do it, I can do it." “If she can overcome that struggle, that temptation, that hardship” so can I. “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow.”
John Wesley said, “Let me be employed by thee or let me be laid aside for thee.” That first part is honestly easier for some than the second part. But learn this lesson: There is untapped power in laying aside a work while you stand alongside, or know whom your successor will be.
Knowing who is following you is key. Paul knew that he would not be there for the church every single day. Paul knew that his leadership was only temporary, but the work of the Holy Spirit inside the church is continuous and eternal.
Grace & Peace,
Sam