“Don’t let the old man in!”

I heard someone say this several years ago to express their resistance to aging. They said, “You can sometimes hear the old man knocking, but don’t let him in!”

This is so great! And it’s something I say to myself, especially on those days when I can hear him at the door … those days when my knees hurt for no reason, or my arm is suddenly sore, or my back is aching. Those day when I feel the joys of getting older, I tell myself, “Greg, you might hear him knocking, but don’t let him in!”

Having different aches and pains reminds me of how vitally important each part of my body is. When my feet are sore, it’s all I can think about. And I don’t really give my elbow much thought … until it hurts. Each part of our bodies is important to the whole. And if any part is not fully functioning, the whole body suffers – or at least it’s less than it was made to be.

Of course, this is why the human body is such an apt metaphor for the Body of Christ – the Church. Paul talks about this in his letters to young churches, but especially to the church in Corinth. He says, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ… Our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.” (1 Corinthians 12:12, 18 NLT)

The point is this: as believers, each of us has a role, and each is vitally important to make the church all God needs her to be. If Christ Church is to be healthy and hitting on all cylinders, each of us has to get in the game. There are no sideline-sitters.

Connie Jeske, the author of “Who is My Neighbor: How Will I Respond” says, “It is vitally important that each person along the track of the relay race understand that God uses people of all types of personality, in a wide variety of ways, at certain seasons of life, and for certain purposes.” (p. 31) (By the way – Connie will be our leader this Sunday afternoon at the “Serve Like Christ” event at the NWA Mall. Hope you can come!)

I’ve heard people say that if everyone in the church were to tithe, we wouldn’t know what to do with all the money. It’s just as true when it comes to giving ourselves in service… imagine our children’s and youth ministries being overrun with volunteers – people pouring into our kids! Imagine those in nursing homes and homebound, and in the hospital, always having someone stop by to check in. Imagine a community filled with Christ Church people shining His light into the darkness around us, building relationships that bless and lead others to our Savior! Imagine!

Where has God gifted you? What are your passions? Where are you seeing God at work? God is calling you – and me – to step into those places – to Serve and Love Like Christ – so that lives might find the healing and transformation only Christ can bring. So that others might know that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father.

Christ Church, if you aren’t already, let’s get in the game!