The Stories of Christmas | You Belong

Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (CEB)

Ever notice how kids on the playground form groups? There are the soccer players, the swing set kids, the ones who play four square. And if you're not part of one of those groups, recess can feel pretty lonely. You start wondering, "Where do I fit? Do I even belong here?"

The truth is, that feeling doesn't go away when we grow up. We still wonder if we belong. We look around at church and wonder if there's a place for us. We see people who seem more spiritual, more talented, more connected...and we wonder if we really fit in.

When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, they were dealing with some serious division. Some people thought their spiritual gifts made them more important than others. If you could speak in tongues or prophesy, you were in the "spiritual elite." Everyone else? Well, they were second-class Christians.

So Paul uses the metaphor of the body to help them understand something crucial about the church. He says that the church is like a human body, it is one body with many different parts. And every part belongs. Every part has a purpose. Every part matters.

And Paul makes it crystal clear that this isn't based on what you can do or how impressive your gifts are. If you're in Christ, you belong. Period.

Here's what we get wrong about belonging: We think we have to earn it. We think we have to prove we're valuable enough, talented enough, spiritual enough to deserve a place in the body of Christ.

But that's not how it works. You don't earn your place in the body.

Think about your physical body for a second. Did your pinky toe have to audition to be part of your body? Did your elbow have to prove it was worthy? Of course not. They're part of your body simply because they're part of your body. They belong because they belong.

The same is true in the church. You don't have to be the most talented person. You don't have to have the most impressive spiritual gifts. You don't have to be the most mature Christian. You belong because you're in Christ. And if you're in Christ, you're part of the body.

Paul puts it this way, "We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body." Notice that word "all." Not just the impressive ones. Not just the talented ones. Not just the ones who seem to have it all together. All of us.

And that means the single mom who's barely holding it together belongs just as much as the long-time member who knows all the hymns by heart. The teenager who's still figuring out what they believe belongs just as much as the retired pastor. The person struggling with addiction belongs just as much as the person who seems to have conquered every sin.

We're all part of the same body. We all belong.

So if you've been wondering whether you fit in at church...you do. If you've been questioning whether there's a place for you in the body of Christ...there is. If you've been feeling like maybe you're not spiritual enough or talented enough or whatever enough...you're wrong.

You belong. Not because of what you can do. Not because of how impressive you are. But because you're in Christ. And that's all that matters.

Prayer

God, thank you for reminding me that I belong. Not because I've earned it, but because you've made me part of your body. Help me to stop trying to prove I'm valuable enough to be here. Help me to embrace the truth that I'm already part of your family, already part of your church, already an important piece of who we are together. Give me the courage to step into the place you've made for me, knowing that you created me to be exactly who I am. Amen.