Rowing Crew
'Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.’ 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
Insight
Have you ever watched the boat-racing sport of rowing crew? This team of eight operates as a unit moving together for balance and speed. Though working together as one, each member has an important and slightly different role to play.
The first two seats help with keeping the boat balanced. These rowers need to have a smooth and fluid technique. Seats 3,4,5, and 6 are called the “engine room” due to the power these bigger and stronger rowers provide. Seats 7 and 8 are called the stern pair and help with setting a rhythm that is easy for the other rowers to follow.
At the front of the boat facing the rowers is the coxswain. This person is typically referred to as the brains of the boat. He or she is responsible for giving directions and guidance, watching the crew for any errors and making corrections, and being a good motivator.
When you watch the boat rowing in action, these individual rowers move as one, but each has their own unique role. This uniqueness is essential to successfully operate the boat and ultimately win the race.
As Christians, we make up the body of Christ with Jesus at the head guiding and correcting and encouraging us all. While working together as one, our individuality is important and valued, just as it is with the boat rowers. Though we are different, whether, in race or family history or economic status, we all share a common bond: our relationship with Jesus Christ. We share in God’s redemptive process, in His forgiveness, in His grace, in His loving kindness.
Because we are related in Christ, we are also related to one another. John Piper says it this way, “As each of us is in relationship to Christ, we are therefore in relationship to each other. If I am Christ’s brother, and you are Christ’s sister, then you are my sister. By creating relationships with himself, Christ creates the relationships in the body.”
Unity brought together by faith working to advance God’s Kingdom is an amazing calling. As we participate in the body, we can also discover more about our own individuality that is always pleasing to God.
Reflection
Though we are all different, we are one in Christ. What is your natural reaction when confronted with someone or something different?
What would it be like if every person in the church tried to do the same thing? How would this approach hinder our impact?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for this beautiful image of the church. Help us stay united in the body by glorifying our individualities. As we discover more of our identity in Christ, may we use all that we have to serve one another in love. In Jesus name, Amen.
Port City’s Care Coordinator Mandy Hughes wrote today’s devotional.
