The Weaker Parts

I read a devotion yesterday by Henri Nouwen that spoke straight to my heart as if God himself was speaking to me. I love it when I come across a scripture or reading and it speaks to exactly how I am feeling and it captures an emotion or thought that I would never be able to find the words to describe it. I pray that as you read it, it would speak to your heart as well. I feel like because I am walking in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Nairobi, it is very easy to find a context for this text for myself...I want to ask you to think about the community in which you find yourself, who is it speaking about for you? If we are truly members of one body, what are we doing to protect the weaker parts?

“The most honored parts of the body are not the head or the hands, which lead and control. The most important parts are the least presentable parts. That's the mystery of the Church. As a people called out of oppression to freedom, we must recognize that it is the weakest among us- the elderly, the small children, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the hungry and sick- who form the real center. Paul says, “It is the parts of the body which we consider least dignified that we surround with the greatest dignity.” (1 Corinthians 12:23)
The Church as the people of God can truly embody the living Christ among us only when the poor remain its most treasured part. Care for the poor, therefore, is much more than Christian charity. It is the essence of being the body of Christ.”

Joel and I are here on behalf of Center for Transforming Mission. I am convinced that if the Church, the body of Christ, lived in such a way that we treasured our 'weakest' parts, there would be true transformation. I guess another way to ask the question is: “If we (The church: those who claim to be made in the image of God and to be living for Him) are not considering these weaker members with the greatest dignity, then who will?

Peace,
Mandy