Body Life

Our local church body meets in a building that was formerly a furniture store on Market Street.  At one time there was a drug store adjacent to it, and at some point the two buildings became one.  The facade of that drug store had long ago been replaced with one big window which went the way of all flesh, rotting and decaying beyond what could reasonably be repaired.  So it was determined that the best course of action was to replace it.

Fortunately for us, we have a window manufacturer who is part of our fellowship.  These are custom made high-end windows.  Our window man prefers to build massively.  So naturally, the window was one large 5 by 17 foot beast, approximately 600 pounds in weight.  Once the window was finished, an installation date was scheduled.

I arrived at the building just after 7:30 a.m. on a bitterly cold Saturday, fully expecting to be the first on the scene.  But there were already several men there, ready for action.  So after a word of prayer, we began the demolition.  By about 8:15, the old window was out, and there were now approximately 16 ready, willing, and mostly able men to install the new window.

After some preparatory work to the opening, the time came to lift the monster out of the truck bed and tote it over to four trestle benches positioned in front of our brand new hole in the wall.  Once it was resting there, a board screwed to the bottom of the window needed to be removed.  So two guys risked life and limb and crawled under the 600 pound window to unscrew the board. 

The final task, or so we thought, was to gently lift the window over to the opening, a distance of about a foot, and slide it into place.  Once the window was seated properly at the bottom, we then discovered that the window trim was about an eighth of an inch too high.  So the window had to be leaned out so the top of the trim could be shaved down with a planer. 

It was about this time that one of the brothers spoke up.  He commented that we needed to take note of this situation, because it was a picture of the body of Christ working together.  The wise guy in me immediately surfaced, and I pointed out that there was a slight problem with the picture. The body of Christ wasn’t getting the job done.  We were stuck.   No one seemed to find the humor in my wit.

 

Much to our relief, once the top piece of trim was shaved down, the window then easily slid into the opening.  Mission accomplished.  Nothing left but the finishing up.  By noon we were on our way home.

The New Window Installed

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, others prepared for a church dinner scheduled for that very evening.  We expected a group of about 175, large by our standard.  We have done this for years.  We enjoyed the meal, the fellowship, and our teens led a time of worship afterwards.

The next morning, my wife and I sat at the breakfast table and discussed the previous day’s events.  We made an observation which had seemed fairly obvious in the midst of both of our tasks.  If not for leadership, neither job would have gone very well.  And it was to the benefit of all that everyone recognized who the leaders were. 

In both situations, nothing needed to be spoken about leading.  But it was understood that the final decisions would rest on certain individuals.  While the installation of the window did not go perfectly with everyone following the leader at every moment, for the most part, we couldn’t have asked for a smoother go of it.  As long as the group was paying attention to direction, we were fine.  The dinner also had its typical little glitches, if you even want to call them that.  Last minute mid-stream suggestions to do something differently, changes in the number in attendance, and a slight shortage of macaroni and cheese were nothing to get worked up about, unless of course you REALLY like macaroni and cheese. 

Our tasks that day were relatively simple.  We were installing a window and having dinner.  How difficult or critical could that be?  But we took our work seriously.  We did it as unto The Lord, as The Word instructs us to do ALL work.  Perhaps The Lord instructs us to do that because any old job is an opportunity for THE LORD to work.

The one brother was right after all.  There was an important picture illustrated by all our efforts that day.  But it wasn’t just about seeing the body working together; it was about how the body worked together.  There was a potential for that group of men to make an attempt to install the window, and end up with nothing but a pile of broken glass, splintered wood, and mashed fingers.  There was the potential for us to gather around a meal, only to find out we had a ton of potatoes, a shortage of turkey, and - gasp - no desert.

This is by no means meant to elevate one person above another, but the key was in working together under the direction of good leadership.  We use some imagery in church life that refers to a spiritual truth regarding this.  We have a leader who we call The Head.  That Head is Christ.  We use the imagery of a body to describe the church. Christ is the Head, we are the body. 

In a perfect world, everyone listens perfectly to The Head, and everything goes smoothly.  Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world.  Occasionally, as we had just witnessed in our two tasks, someone decides to call out instructions that are not in line with the wishes of The Head.  Often, there are conditions we don’t anticipate and we get stuck, and our only hope is to stop and focus more intently on the direction and desires of The Head.  Sometimes we think we may have a better plan of action than The Head’s which only hinders the progress.  Sometimes we are too busy talking to each other to listen to The Head.  Sometimes we get frustrated because The Head chooses a plan different from the one we would choose.

Ideally, we are all perfectly in tune with the desires of The Head, and under those circumstances, we do not conflict with each other.  We do not question each anothers' actions or motives.  We do not worry ourselves with the role of others, but only with our own work as it relates to the desires of The Lord God. 

Gradually, as everyone grows closer to The Head, the need for leaders on the level of earth will become less and less necessary, as everyone will be taking direction from The Lord Himself.  But we don't live in a perfect world.  We occasionally need living illustrations to aid our understanding until it becomes a reality in our hearts. 

Meanwhile, until that perfect day, we are frequently reminded that we fall short of always being in tune with Christ.  But hopefully we come to the realization that our flesh must go the way of all flesh: we must allow it to fall away, the stinking rot that it is, and be completely replaced with a newness that can come only from union with Christ.

©Brent A. Timmons 2011