Movin’ On Up
It was great to be back in with my junior high class this Sunday. Those kids are amazing. This week we talked about Mr. Potato-Head. Mr. Potato-Head is one of those toys that just seems to last forever. Regardless of the advances in technology, Mr. Potato-Head is still one of the most popular and widely recognized toys in America. He’s a fun guy because you can do whatever you want with him. Eyes in his armpits? Sure. A nose on the top of his head? No problem. A huge mustache and thick-rimmed glasses? What’s not to like about that? And now, Mr. Potato-Head comes with 4 sets of everything. In his little case you can find several different body part choices for his eyes, mouth, nose, ears, arms, mustache, hat, shoes, glasses…the sky is the limit.
Now, the parents of my junior highers are probably thrilled that their children were being educated in the anatomy of Mr. Potato-Head this Sunday. I can assure you we dug deeper into the spiritual well than that.
As a church, we are examining a five-year vision. We are looking at what we as a body can do to focus our ministry efforts and reach out to our community in the name of Jesus Christ. Why should the junior high be any different. This Sunday we looked as 1 Corinthians 12. Beginning in verse twelve, the author begins to speak about how a body has many parts. He elaborates that, in order to function to the best of its ability, the body requires all parts to contribute. The eyes may be able to see, but, if you have no hand, how can you pick up what you observe? He also says in verses 19-20:
“If they were all one part, where would the body be? as it is, there are many parts, but one body.”
This was our focus on Sunday. As we move forward with our vision for transforming our church and community, we must look at the roles we play. If we all try to have the same function, will we get anywhere? Mr. Potato-Head looks really funny when all he has is eyes. He’s even more ridiculous when he is the proud owner of four sets of arms. But a body cannot function practically without all the other parts. We have each been blessed with talents and skills with which to serve God. As we look at our own roles in this vision of outreach, it is important that we utilize each one of those skills to the fullest.
Even my junior highers understand this. When we discussed the steps we should take to build a solid foundation for the youth group, the overwhelmingly popular answer was building community. They wanted to get to know each other better. They wanted to become closer with themselves and the high schoolers. These 6th, 7th, and 8th graders saw the importance of getting to know each other. With that community comes the understanding of strengths and weaknesses. And with that understanding comes the ability to work together to cover those weaknesses and function as a strong body.
I urge the parents reading this to talk to your kids this week about their strengths and values. Encourage them to think about how they can use those strengths for God. Finally, challenge them to actually do it. Brainstorming is the easy part. Implementation is the challenge. Everyone can imagine a cure to a disease and how life would be easier. It is finding and using the cure that actually improves the lives we live.
Let’s not settle for Mr. Potato-Head in our churches. Let’s strive to use the unique abilities God has given us to praise Him and serve His kingdom.
