In step

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
— 1 Corinthians 12:12

People who count honeybees estimate that there are 20,000 to 60,000 bees in any given hive. Yet there is one hive. The hive has three basic kinds of bees: the queen, workers, and drones. Yet there is one hive. All of the bees work together by instinct to function as an interdependent community, like a living organism.

The Christ-followers at Corinth, estimated to be about 40 to 150 people, were not acting as “one.” This multiethnic group of recent converts included a mixture of educated and working-class people, rich and poor, and they struggled to care for and show God’s love to one another. The letter Paul wrote to them describes a divided, individualistic, selfish, and proud gaggle of believers. At best, they revealed that they were many parts struggling to become one body.

Similarly, our world today does little to encourage us to believe and act like we are an organic, interdependent community— one body. Individualism, privilege, possessions, and self-gratification are often the altars at which people worship. These behaviors make being one body most difficult.

Christ-followers can be one body only “in Christ.” This is not instinctual. It takes heart change and the hard and humble work of love. Will you pray and work humbly to love and serve with others who make up the body of Christ?

Lord Jesus, inspire us all to work toward the unity of your one body. Change our hearts and energize us to love and build up others as we serve with you. Amen.

Written by: Don Byker

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 3:5-15

We are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
— 1 Corinthians 3:9

Honeybees are great builders. Inside their hive they make honeycombs consisting of hundreds of six-sided cells. These are the basic building blocks of beehives. The amazing geometry of these cells maximizes storage space while minimizing the wax needed for a stable structure. Beeswax is an ingenious blend of nectar, pollen, saliva, and other ingredients produced by worker bees to form the walls of the cells, which keep their shape in both heat and cold. While these cells are used mainly to store honey and some pollen and nectar, some of the cells are also used as nurseries for eggs and larvae.

Hive building is a tribute to the bees’ ability to work well together. Each bee takes up its role in the building process.

A tragic contrast to this is our struggle as human beings to build caring communities. Jesus came to reverse our faulty construction habits by reconnecting people to his Father and to one another. Yet we often fail to practice what he taught us. In place of humbly serving with each other in caring, harmonious, constructive ways, for example, the Christian community gets distracted by competing and comparing and by excluding and neglecting one another.

Are you a co-worker with God in building a community with others? In what ways is God calling you from self-service to serving him with others?

Thank you, God, for the firm foundation you have made for us in Christ. By your Spirit, direct us to care for each other as we serve to build up the body of Christ. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Psalm 133:1-3

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
— Acts 2:42

Have you heard of “personal space”? It’s described as the amount of space a person feels is needed in order to relate to and live well with others. Personal space can differ by culture, situation, relationship, and personal preference. For an average Westerner, personal space is about two feet on all sides. Does this seem right and healthy to you? In some other cultures, the distance can be a bit less.

Have you ever heard of “bee space”? Specifically, that is the space honeybees leave between combs in a hive. It’s about 1/4 to 3/8 inch (6 - 9 mm)—a delicate balance of “enough room to move freely but not too much empty space,” according to sources on beekeeping. Bee space allows two bees to pass each other back-to- back and makes it possible for thousands of bees to live and work closely together. Smaller spaces are filled with propolis (“bee glue”), and larger spaces are packed with unneeded “burr comb.”

Bees are at their best for life in the hive when they are in close quarters with each other. It’s a matter of instinct, not choice.

People have more choices in defining personal space. In Acts 2:42 the Spirit of God draws us into a “good and pleasant” space for being and thriving together as followers of Christ. Choose and commit yourself to living in this good space with each other.

Holy Spirit, guide us to live in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we grow together faithfully in you so that others may come to know you also. Amen.

Written by: Don Byker

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

You yourselves are God’s temple and . . . God’s Spirit dwells in your midst. . . .
— 1 Corinthians 3:16

A few years ago, a strong wind toppled one of the beehives behind our barn. The hive had been thriving, and it was five boxes tall. The hive had stuck together well. Amazingly, it didn’t break open till it hit the ground. “Bee glue”—propolis— gets the credit for that. But, sadly, the hive was destroyed, and its bees quickly scattered.

In his letters to the Christ-followers in Corinth, Paul gets personal and pours out his heart to these new believers. They were going through some stormy and threatening times together, and that was surely predictable. Starting off as a new community in Christ can be hard, and as their pastor and mentor, Paul did all that he could to hold this body of Christ together. They especially needed to be reminded of their identity together— whose they were and who held them together.

Propolis is an amazing glue produced by worker bees. This sticky glue is used to fill small gaps to seal and protect the hive from bacteria and viruses. As propolis ages, it strengthens and holds the hive structure together.

As Christ-followers, our “glue” is the Holy Spirit, who “dwells in [our] midst,” and together we are God’s temple!

In what ways are you standing tall together in the Spirit with other Christ-followers in your community as you worship God and serve him?

Thank you, God, for your grace that enriches the followers of Jesus in every way. Hold us together by your Spirit as a unified temple in service to you, to each other, and to everyone around us. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Colossians 1:15-20

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
— Colossians 1:18

Honeybees and human beings have a fascination with royalty. Queens and kings rise and fall, and it’s a mystery that we get so interested in them. With honeybees, there’s a life-and-death fixation on the queen bee. A colony cannot survive without a queen. Beekeepers learn this quickly, and their hope for a yield of honey depends on having a healthy queen.

In each hive there is only one queen. She has been described as “the mother of all the bees,” “the matriarch,” and “the one in charge of the hive.” The queen is the only fertile female, and a healthy queen will lay up to 2,000 eggs per day!

The queen is at the center of the hive’s life—until she can no longer perform her duties. When the colony senses that its queen is ailing or preparing to leave, the workers begin a special process to raise a new queen. They feed a young female “royal jelly” to activate her reproductive system. Soon she will be able to lay eggs to ensure the future growth and survival of the hive.

It may be tempting to view the rise and fall of royalty as an unbreakable pattern. But our Bible reading today makes clear that there is one glowing exception. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is the eternal King over all things. He is our head, and we, his people, are his one body. No replacements. We can trust the Son of God to be the King of the universe and the Savior of our lives forever.

King Jesus, thank you for rescuing us from darkness and bringing us into your marvelous kingdom of light, love, and forgiveness. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 12:12-21

Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
— 1 Corinthians 12:14

When worker bees first hatch and emerge from their cells, their first task is to clean out their cell so that a new egg can be placed there.

As worker bees mature, they gain different responsibilities, becoming nurse bees for new bees, clutter cleaners, guards against hive robbers and threats (stinging if necessary), queen feeders (she cannot feed herself!), scouts and foragers for available nectar and pollen to make honey, and builders of new cells for storing honey, nectar, and eggs. All of this is done in about six weeks while the worker bee lives and prepares for the next generation to keep the hive thriving and growing.

It would be inconceivable for any of the bees in a hive to say to one another, “I don’t need you!” It would be just as unimaginable for an ear to say to an eye (or any other part of the human body), “I don’t need you!” That would be absurd.

For the body of Christ to mature and thrive, each of Jesus’ followers needs to humbly recognize and do their part. There are many, many ways in which Christ needs us to do our part with him and with the other parts of his body. When we each willingly discern and serve as we are gifted to do, we will mature together and thrive with the whole body.

Lord Jesus, help us to believe and serve as the part of your body where you need us and call us to be. Guide us to serve as you have gifted us, working with the other parts of your body for the benefit of all and for your glory. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 21-27

God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that . . . its parts should have equal concern for each other.
— 1 Corinthians 12:24-25

During high school I was invited to a party. This had never happened to me before, so it made me feel kind of special. At the party, however, the host privately explained that “they” thought there should be a party for people who were not usually invited. Feeling pitied, I soon left. Being “special” in that way made me feel that I was not genuinely valued.

In our reading for today, some parts of the human body are described as “weaker,” “less honorable,” or “unpresentable.” But in the body of believers in Christ, we need to take care not to view or treat anyone in a way like that.

Drone bees, aside from the fact that some of them mate with the queen bee (and then die), have not been observed doing any work in the hive. They have been described as just hanging around and eating honey (made and stored by the worker bees). Drones also look different and have no stinger. In autumn they suffer the final indignity of being kicked out of the hive so that the honey for the queen and the worker bees will last during the winter.

In the body of Christ, however, no one is a drone. All parts are needed and indispensable, worthy of special concern and honor, not condescension. We are all partners in Christ, and we strive to develop each other’s gifts as the Lord has given them. How are you serving together with all the other parts of Christ body?

Lord Jesus, thank you for making me a part of your body. May we all honor and care equally for all the parts of your body as we serve you. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Galatians 5:13-26

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
— Galatians 5:25

Did you know that honeybees communicate by dancing? Beekeepers have identified three dances used by these bees.

Scout bees use the “waggle dance” to describe the distance, direction, and quality of a food source to be gathered. The number of waggles and the length of the dance indicate how rich and how far away the food supply is.

In contrast, the “round dance” communicates that a food source is nearby. Moving in small circles on the honeycomb, scouts recruit foragers to go and get this local food.

In the “sickle dance,” the bees use a crescent-shaped pattern and make special sounds and vibrations when the colony needs to be defended from a threat. I’m sure this dance was used when I’ve been stung and chased away.

Honeybees learn their dance moves by instinct and imitation. But this is not the case for Christ-followers. Our missteps in communication are often damaging and in need of correction. Going with the flow of the sinful nature brings pain and damage to the body of Christ.

The dance that Christ-followers need to learn is to “keep in step with the Spirit.” It is essential that we learn to show “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” in all our interactions with one another. Which steps in this dance have you been learning and practicing lately?

Spirit of God, fill us with your love and wisdom, that we may keep in step with you in all of our interactions. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.