2024-05-12 A Meditation on All Together

“12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.” (1 Cor 12:12-31 ESV)

More difficult than personally coping, when one member suffers all the body suffers: we cope with the warp of a community tongues out sickened. That is, a friend’s sickness affects all to some degree, even if we personally are free of the presenting matter. Even if we personally walked the straight and narrow; even if we personally resented ever to impose thus on a friend or a neighbor. Even if we “got it right”.

Then comes the War, a spiritual affair not a moment too soon—for the downward tug was illicit and ghastly, the suction and theft, the enfeebling mockery—comes home to nest and to make of each such cohort, sickened member and all, into a spear and lance, into a turk and a big cat, a leopard and a lynx, a day for all comers to have job and mission, to contribute, to share the gladsome morning’s greeting: today, let us hear His voice, who has blessed with signs—including this puzzling sign of the Cross—our stance, our righteous stand and together footing.

It is a footing that makes routine and familiar of the heightened state of alery, of the air raid siren and the existential plain fright: where will our city lie tomorrow? What if the hounds of hell, screaming at the gates, do puncture our familiar embryo or tissue; what of this modicum of only coping, not of rising so strong and together, but only of coping? For, the sinner in the midst, is everyone’s sin. He or she is a lagging weight, a hindrance to holy composure and compunction. Yet cope we do, peering outward because we know: God has already won the more immediate, friendly, war! God has allowed us to lean heavily on His Son’s doctrine and Body: sin shall have no dominion over you! The years that the swarming locust ate… the years that the consumption took on… the years that the hopper, the destroyer, the cutter ate (Joel 2:25)… in some fashion we are of a peculiar brand of strength: strong precisely in our acknowledged utter failures.

Thus to the ramparts no self-righteous or good-looking smug boy or lass, but a crew who taunts with the audacity: audacious truth claims, God is for us. Audacious demonstratives, see our sins forgiven. Audacious betterment in togetherness, see our pat on the back and arm around the shoulders that we are not denying one another nor shunning what sin is in fact the duty of all to accommodate. Audacious simple plainness of speech: God in truth—have you heard?—loves us! God in truth—do you know?—lays down His life for us! God in truth—can you tell it?—forges communities strong and confessional!