The dripping
eaves trough had sculpted dozens of individual
free form works of art. Some were no larger
than a finger, others were as big around as my
leg and three to four feet long. The sun
bounced off each individual sculpture creating
a dazzling display.
I stood and
watched them for a while. The snow on the roof
was being warmed by the sun. Droplets of water
were being formed as the sun transformed the
snow back to melt water and each drip slowly
slipped over the frozen eaves.
The droplets
crawled along the existing icicles, loosing
heat as they did. Each drop gave up the last
of it's heat in a different spot and the
icicles slowly grew. As the day lengthened,
the drops were able to retain their heat a
little longer and crawl further along the
icicle before freezing making them larger and
longer drop by drop. The larger icicles must
have contained thousands, perhaps tens of
thousands of individual drops of water.
Some formed
simple shapes, others became complex with
three, four or more separate nodes forming
until they resembled the frozen roots of a
tree. Occasionally, a water droplet would
simply slide off the roof solo and drop to the
ground where it disappeared.
No flashy
lights. No hype. No famous artist. Just simple
beautiful works of art. Pretty impressive for
a bunch of frozen drips of water. Separate
icicles yet connected to the same frozen
eaves.
It reminded me
of the church. There is one true church,
connected to Christ as it's head. The
components of the church come in different
shapes and sizes. Like the water droplets
giving up their heat to form part of the
whole, we each die to self to serve Jesus and
become part of the church universal.
Many believers
feel they don't "need" the church. Perhaps,
they are correct (although I can't imagine
that being the case), but the church needs
them.
The body
is a unit, though it is made up of many
parts; and though all its parts are many,
they form one body. So it is with Christ.
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into
one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or
free--and we were all given the one Spirit
to drink. Now the body is not made up of one
part but of many. If the foot should say,
"Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to
the body," it would not for that reason
cease to be 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 cease to be 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 arranged 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. 1
Corinthians 12:12-20 NIV
Perhaps you're
right in your feeling that you don't need the
church (although I must confess I think you‘re
deceiving yourself), but without you the
church isn't complete. Someone else is missing
out on being ministered to by your presence.
We are all
called to regular, active, participation
in our local congregations.
Let us not
give up meeting together, as some are in the
habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another--and all the more as you see the Day
approaching. Hebrews 10:25 NIV
Until next
time, rejoice if you take advantage of the
call to worship and serve with other
believers. If you've turned your back and
tried to go it alone, it's time to repent and
find a fellowship where you fit.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah
(Praise God)!
Kevin
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