"The Body"

“A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 1 Corinthians 11:28-29 NIV

The comments today will not be very long and yet, I am writing because it is something new in my thinking on the Lords supper. The idea is also stolen from a friend I met at camp. An important thing to consider is whether or not we really listen when someone speaks and I often find myself occupied with something other than listening when I have to be still. For some reason, human nature wants me to believe the things being said are not nearly as important as when I am speaking to someone else and so the tendency is for me to only be superficial in my listening. It can be truly wonderful when the study and thoughts of another person take us down a path of new considerations as is the case with this scripture pasted above.

I am not sure how many times I have listened to this scripture read as we come together and I know it is one I might easily block out of my head because, yeah, I know I am supposed to examine myself and make sure I am right before the Lord before taking. What has not always come through in the passage and is new to my thinking, is the idea of recognizing the body. This body is not my body or me but rather the body of the Lord. Paul is speaking of those we come together with as Christians and in the context of what has been discussed in the text previously the church has many problems between differing individuals. It seems funny talking about them because the church (us) has never gotten away from having many problems and I would guess this is why God thought it important to give us instruction for being together.

We all know the church, the body of Christ, is made up of those answering to God as His children. I’m not sure, however, how often we actually recognize the body and take care of the needs of our body. If we have a cut on our hand or a limb needing to mend from a break, we do whatever it takes THROUGH healing. We don’t simply address the issue with “oh you have a bobo,” but rather tend to the problem as necessary to make sure healing takes place. There have been times in the lives of many when a break or condition seems to be well and yet we visit the doctor once again and discover the need for additional surgery or follow-up.

There are also times when we might look at a problem we have and simply think, “it will get better if I am just patient.” Often, as when I get into a period of coughing, the problem only gets worse until it ends up costing me more in time and money than if I had taken care of the problem early. One of the common means to address problems is by asking someone else for their opinion and this sharing will often not come from a desire to fix the problem but rather a need to simply let others know.

I mentioned in another post how in my past, I would take things to the elders so they could solve the problem. I also mentioned how much of a burden this must be to them since our action actually calls for them to “take sides” in an issue between two brothers or sisters. I was being the part of a child and not being able to settle things, as if I tried, with my sibling, I just went and told on them.

The next time I join you in communion, I am not going to simply be looking at my personal life and Christ hanging on the cross (the way I have always viewed the passage) but I am going to consider the body of Christ which should be as dear to us as the one hanging on the cross. After all, I hope we all desire a strong healthy body so we can run with the message of our JOY!