Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
November 29, 2023
1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 22-26
12 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. 13 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. 14 Certainly, the body isn’t one part but many. 21 So the eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” or in turn, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22 Instead, the parts of the body that people think are the weakest are the most necessary. 23 The parts of the body that we think are less honorable are the ones we honor the most. The private parts of our body that aren’t presentable are the ones that are given the most dignity. 24 The parts of our body that are presentable don’t need this. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor 25 so that there won’t be division in the body, and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it.
Good Morning. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
My mom loved cooking. She especially liked discovering and trying new recipes. She would spend hours looking through cookbooks and magazines for just the right recipe to try. I was often by her side as her sous chef, although we didn’t use such a fancy name. Back then, I was her helper and was given various tasks such as washing, chopping, and stirring.
As a young cook, I found it interesting that some recipes allowed you to add all of the ingredients at once with no particular order required, while other recipes were very specific, and without following the proper order, the final product would be altered (a.k.a. flop). Whenever we had a snow day, we would cook something special.
I remember one day when we were baking yeast bread. As a kid, it was like this fascinating science experiment. I had never seen my mom be so exacting with the directions. The temperature had to be just right, and certain ingredients were essential to the bread. Before we added the salt, I commented that I didn’t want salty-tasting bread. She laughed and explained that it was such a small amount that we wouldn’t taste the salt but that the yeast would not work properly without it.
When we consider being the one body of believers, the body of Christ, we must realize that all are necessary, even those who seem less significant or unnecessary. Our final product will be altered without the entire array of ingredients (people). Like the salt that works to help the yeast reach its proper level, we all come together to support and nurture one another.
During the celebration of Holy Communion, we recognize that we are one body in Christ because there is one loaf. From that one loaf, all are nourished by the Holy Spirit. This nourishment sustains us in our daily lives.
One bread, one body, one Lord of all
One cup of blessing which we bless
And we, though many throughout the Earth
We are one body in this one Lord
Gentile or Jew
Servant or free
Woman or man
No more.
One bread, one body, one Lord of all
One cup of blessing which we bless
And we, though many throughout the Earth
We are one body in this one Lord
Many the gifts, many the works
One in the Lord
Of all.
Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. Help us remember that all of Your children are important. It takes all coming together as one to serve You. Thank you in the name of Jesus. Amen
Thought for the day: Each of us is a member of Christ’s body, equipped by God to spread love and joy.
One bread, One body! Pastor Liz
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