Living in the Spirit

August 25, 2023

Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1-8
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

I was raised in a home that taught me that I was no better than anyone else and that no one else was better than me. I was also raised in a community that generally believed that. My hometown was largely populated with German immigrants and their descendants who arrived in the USA just in time to take advantage of the Homestead Act. They were farmers fleeing from drought and famine in their homeland. Others of us were descendants of immigrants homesteading, like mine, who came for various reasons. My first ancestors to arrive in the USA were, indeed, fleeing from religious persecution. Starting in New England, their descendants moved west to homestead. Raised in a rural area, they soon identified the skills and talents of each of their neighbors. My dad was the local welder. One of our neighbors had lost the lower half of one of his arms in an accident, but he could sled hay with one arm and a hay hook better than anyone. There were excellent quilters and gardeners. These same farmers and small-town merchants were the pillars of our churches. Some were elders, others Sunday School teachers. My sister was the organist at our church starting as a teenager. Groups of them checked on the homebound and children who needed clothing or school supplies. We were not perfect, and we did not always get along, but everyone from every church and those who did not attend church showed up when our church was struck by lightning that set it on fire. Two men ran in and carried the organ out. It took six to take it back in. The beloved community gathers together to share their talents and skills to be one in Christ Jesus in righteousness and justice.

Prayer: Lord, instill in us the fervor to be the beloved community. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.