Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would 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. And if the ear would 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. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 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.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour.
– 1 Corinthians 12:14-23a (NRSV)

The writer of this, the first lesson to the church in Corinth, presents a plea for unity among the different members of the church, which is called to be the body of Christ on earth. From this plea, directed also to Christ’s body now – us – we can take comfort that each of us is uniquely gifted and loved for who we are, not for how we compare to another member of the body of Christ. It is also a reminder not to write ourselves (or others) off, because we deem ourselves to be of lesser use or competence. Even if we deem ourselves to be of less value, we are not so, and we are called to be who we are created to be, to the service of Christ’s body here on earth, now.

Revd Claudia Coustas

Chaplin