21: thanksgiving

Almost five years ago, Spotswood hired a new college pastor. As I was one of the lone college students, he wanted to meet with me to talk about Spotswood's college ministry (which was pretty non-existent at the time) and the possibility of serving as a student leader to help reach out to the UMW campus. 

At the time, I was involved in a couple para-church Christian clubs on campus. Through our talks, this pastor (who we all now know and love... Pastor Doug), explained to me the importance of being invested in the Body. He asked me to pray about being fully committed to serving in and through the Church, instead of trying to split my time and waffle between commitments to different groups. At first, though reasonably presented, his request sounded odd. Being in many Christian clubs was very much a part of the college Christian culture I was in. However, as I prayed about it and talked it out with my mentors, they affirmed the decision I felt God was leading me towards, which was this:

That someday (quite soon), I would be graduating. My relationships with those clubs and groups was short-term at best. But, my relationship with the Church is eternal. As a believer, I am a part of the Body. I can either start owning that, and be an active member, or not. It wasn't just about my time or about choosing to be on leadership. For me, it came down to this decision: Am I going to love the Church? I chose yes.

Since that decision, God has given me a huge heart for His Bride. As my view of the Church changed, so did the way I viewed and did ministry and missions. Being a part of a local Body of believers became non-negotiable. Finding ways to use my gifts in the Church became a joyful challenge. Fast forward to 2012. My first month in Thailand, Claire and I were asking the pastor of LifePoint, David, about joining the Church. Why? 

As I was reminded again today in my NT reading, we are a part of one Body. There is both a responsibility and joy that accompanies connectedness. In the past five years, there have been many times when I've been able to witness the diversity of God at work within the Body of Christ. And it is beautiful. We're a messy broken people, but we are also dearly loved. It has been my greatest joy to serve the Lord, not on my own, but through the partnership and Body of Christ. I am so thankful that God saw fit to place us and grow us in the context of a Body.

1 Corinthians 12:14-20, 23-27

Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 

...But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Today marked my second Thanksgiving* in Thailand (we figured we're already 12 hours ahead, why not 5 days?). Throughout the whole evening I couldn't decide if I wanted to laugh or cry. It was an it's-so-perfect-it-hurts kind of nights. There we were, 16 Americans, doing what we love best: baking, playing games, watching Christmas movies, eating turkey..., as family. I'll always be a part of the universal Church, but it is also a singular blessing to have been able to spend the last year and a half involved with LifePoint (my local church). I am looking forward to the day when all my spiritual family will be able to join and feast together at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! What a happy, happy eternity that will be.

And speaking of feasting, here are some pictures of our tasty food... to get you motivated to start thawing that turkey and stocking up on stuffing! (And because no "Thanksgiving Post" would be complete without gratuitous pictures of food.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

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* For more details on our Thanksgiving, check out Steph's blog! [click here]