Great Sermon, Great Body!

In the front of the church a table filled with bread and oil beckoned me. I noticed that the bread was arranged in the shape of a body.

People took their seats and the service began. The scripture reading was taken from I Corinthians 12. This chapter talks about the body of Christ, and how God has chosen each one of us and given us a specific function as members of His body.

Trevan started his sermon by talking about our diverse gifts, then about how we are all part of a puzzle, and of our responsibility to each other as part of one body. "God", he said, "has destined each one of you to be here. When He created you, he had October, 2007 in mind, and gave you the gifts you would need to serve humanity today."

My favorite part of the service came when he uttered the words: "If you want to continue being a professional church attender (benchwarmer), and have no intention of using your gifts for God, then you should stop coming. Get out of here!".

Service ended with Trevan calling those who where committed to action to partake of the bread on the table. We were to dip the bread in the oil, symbolizing our desire for the infusion of the Holy Spirit. That through the Spirit's power, we would truly be made one, and we would find God's plan for our lives as part of a grander puzzle.

It was a powerful experience, and definitely the kick in the pants I needed!

If you want to hear the sermon check out the Far West End SDA Church website. It probably won't be up for a couple weeks, but it is an important message.