Batons and the Church

One of the most exciting things to watch at the Olympics has been the sprint relays, especially the 4x100m. Talk about excitement and being on the edge of your seat. But having four incredibly fast sprinters is not everything. There's so much strategy that goes into a relay and probably more important than that is the baton exchanges between runners. I've seen some of the fastest relay teams in the world, both gold medal favorites or world record holders, drop the baton and subsequently lose races. But last night I watched some great running and flawless baton passing in the relays. They were beautifully timed and well executed. In a relay there is no one team member more important than another. Each has the responsibility to play their part well. They must run the best race they can and are each responsible for a good baton exchange to the next runner. It reminds me of the church, the Body of Christ. It's full of members, but each person has a part and responsibility to play. Romans 12:4-5 says, Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,  so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." In a body no one part is more vital than another and it's same way in the church. Just as a relay team needs each person to succeed, so it is with the church. Today you have a vital part to play in the local church. Play your part well :)