1 Corinthians 12:26 – “If one member suffers, all the members suffer together; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice together.”

The church is the body of Christ, made up of many different members. Just as a physical body has eyes, ears, hands, feet, and other parts, each with its unique function and none of which can be done without, so is the church composed of brothers and sisters from various backgrounds and with different spiritual gifts. What our loving God desires is the entire body of Christ, not just certain members of it. Without the members working together, there can be no body. Yet no single member, no matter how important, can fully represent the body on its own. A “super member” would simply be a monster. “If they were all one member, where would the body be?” (1 Cor. 12:19)

As the Chinese Christian Church of Greater Washington, D.C. celebrates its 67th anniversary, Sister Yin Yin invited me to share a devotional reflection. One day, while I was reading 1 Corinthians 12:12–26, the passage spoke deeply to me. Truly, I do not know all that our church has gone through in these 67 years, nor do I fully know how it has grown. But I do know that God allowed many problems to exist in the Corinthian church, and it was precisely because of these issues that Paul, through his letters to Corinth, left the global church the priceless treasures of 1 and 2 Corinthians. In the same way, God has allowed our own church to grow through storms and trials, and we too have experienced seasons when members were broken or hurting. Among us are “weaker, less honorable, and unpresentable” members—but what of it? The church is God’s household, His temple on earth, under His protection and guidance. In Him, we are joined together, leaning on one another, and Christ’s name is proclaimed.

As the passage says: If one member suffers, the whole body suffers together; if one member is honored, the whole body rejoices together. May we love one another and support one another within the body of Christ, so that the church may be united, pleasing to the Lord, and display His glory. May CCCGW continue to grow and be built up by God—not only as a bright light for Christ in the Greater Washington DC area, but also as a lighthouse shining out into the world—because we walk with Him. Amen!