Thanks for all your emails regarding my last post on Worship and Gratitude. It seems it more than a struck a cord with many of you. Unfortunately, in our consumer-driven culture that magnifies our desires over-and-above our needs, it's difficult to worship out of a heart of gratitude when our heart is so filled with discontent.
It's hard to "count your many blessings" when your wish list is longer than your blessings. But it is the counting of blessings, all born of God's grace, that forms the attitude which promotes truly uplifting worship.
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Let's play a little Jeopardy-style game, shall we?
Answer: David Voroba.
Question: Who was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2008 NFL Draft?
That's right. For those who aren't NFL Draftniks, the last player taken in the draft earns the title "Mr. Irrelevant." As you can read in the linked Idaho Statesman story, earning Mr. Irrelevant status is not altogether bad. There is a cadre of lucrative gifts, including a week's vacation on the Southern California coast.
That got me thinking how we in the church react to those the world would consider "marginalized." How do we receive those whose backgrounds don't equate with our images of the "ideal" convert?
The reality of Paul's theology is there are no "irrelevant" members in the body of Christ. Every member has value precisely because of his/her connection to the Head of the body, Jesus Christ. Whether the role filled is that of a finger or a toe is inconsequential since the relevance comes via the relationship to the Head.
The interdependency of the Body makes every member relevant; every member necessary for the sake of whole body health.
