Ribby

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.

- The Apostle Paul, Romans 12:4-6

A month ago, we traveled up to Northern California to watch our 10-year old grandson’s baseball game.

We drove eight hours on Friday, watched his baseball game Saturday, and drove eight hours home on Sunday. It is what grandparents do!

Jericho is falling in love with the game of baseball. He is not the best player on the team, or the most powerful hitter, but he makes good contact. As a result of regularly putting the ball in play, he moves runners around the bases and drives in more runs than most of his teammates. He has so many RBIs (runs batted in) that his teammates have begun calling him Ribby (we had to explain to Mimi [Pam] that Ribby is baseball lingo for an RBI).  

I tell you this because the same holds true in God’s church.

One does not need to be the best or most powerful to make a difference. Not all of us are designed to preach sermons or lead a ministry, but we are all given a unique spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit, and that gift is intended to be used in God’s church for the betterment of the team.

The Apostle Paul continues in Romans 12 (verses 7-8) that if your gift…

…is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy; do it cheerfully.

- Romans 12: 7-8

These are not all the gifts, as more are listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. The point is that we all have been gifted, and we all play a critical role in the success of God’s church. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12,

The body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being a part of the body… But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

- 1 Corinthians 12:14-15, 18

Every baseball team needs nine players, each one at a different defensive position. While some players can play multiple positions, most specialize at one position. Then on offense, some are home-run hitters, some are contact hitters, and some draw walks and steal bases.

Each plays a critical role in the success of the team.

And just like baseball, every church needs every one of its members, each utilizing their unique gift for the church to be successful.

Everyone has a role to play, and no one is more important than another.

Just ask Jericho, for he is proud to be known as Ribby.

Pastor Ken

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