As a child I would always be impressed by watching the monster Frankenstein on the TV. The famous novel by Mary Shelley, about the beast created by the scientist Victor Frankenstein. During his experiments, Victor united several parts of different cadavers and gave life to a monster. As the parts from the dead bodies did not fit well, the creature had a horrific appearance and moved around clumsily frightening everyone that he crossed by.
Interesting that the New Testament talks about the Church as being the “Body of Christ” and that this body is formed by many different people. Contrary to Frankenstein however, the “Body of Christ” is well adjusted and moves in a synchronized and harmonious fashion, or that is how it should be.
Every one of us contributes to and receives from the Body of Christ. We contribute to it with the gifts and abilities that the Lord granted to us, and we receive from the it through the gifts and abilities that the Lord granted to our brothers and sisters. That is, we complement our brothers and sisters with our gifts and abilities, and they complement us with their gifts and abilities.
Therefore, it is rightful to ponder carefully: What kind of a body do we see when we look at our church, Frankenstein’s or Christ’s?
When we only want to contribute to the “Body of Christ” without receiving from it, or we want to receive from the “Body” without contributing to it, we create an imbalance that makes the Church look like Frankenstein. But when we contribute to our brothers and sisters and receive from them, we create the necessary balance for those around us to be attracted to Jesus and not to be frightened. After all, the Body of Christ is not made by cadavers but by people with abundant life.
- Does our church look like Frankenstein or the Body of Christ?
- What do you contribute to the brothers and sisters, and what do they contribute to you?
(The Body’s diversity, 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 / The Body’s unity, Ephesians 4:11-17)