THURSDAY, March 18 (Cyril of Jerusalem)

1 Corinthians 12:12-26. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.

Watching an orchestra, I noticed three things. First, the unchangeable oboe sounded the pitch and all the other players tuned to it. Second, the musicians each concentrated on their own instrument. Third, they watched the written score before them but played according to the interpretation of the conductor. What a fine parable for the church! Composers writing for an orchestra don't want a hundred clarinets. They call for families of varying voices, in groups both large and small--all playing in harmony. In the church it doesn't matter whether all think alike, but that we love one another, find our own faults rather than our neighbor's, be in tune with the congregation, and follow the score as directed by our conductor.

We must practice alone, but in a concert only one score can be played at a time. Someone must arrange the program if the church is to produce harmony and not discord. Let us keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, rather than the uniformity of our opinions in the bond of prejudice. (1937)

PRAY for the Diocese of Bristol (Canterbury, England)

Ps 69:1-23(24-30)31-38 * 73; Exodus 1:6-22; Mark 8:27-9:1

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Who's the conductor?

Mar 18, 2010 at 7:49 am

Written by Steve Doutt,

Excellent meditation; but, it leaves open the question, "Who's the conductor". Is the writer implying that the priest is the conductor? Or Christ? The Holy Spirit? Analogies are useful for starting a discussion, but they inevitably start to break down if applied to rigorously. A thing is what it is. Life can be like a baseball game, or a football game; but, it is neither. The church can be likened to an orchestra, but it is not. It is the body of Christ. Paul's analogy of the body of Christ being like a human body suffers from the same difficulties. I remember as a child worrying about who was going to be the armpit. Would it be me?

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Mar 18, 2010 at 7:51 am

Written by Sarah,

That was a two-by-four moment.

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Mar 18, 2010 at 9:03 am

Written by Andrea,

Steve, the last part of your comment made me laugh. Our priest once said something that I won't repeat exactly here, but will try to translate to a more web-appropriate version: The body of Christ needs all its members, even the [off-color reference to a part of the body as well as to a person who is a jerk]. That got a laugh, too, but it has really made me think. Especially when I find myself in conversation with fellow members of the body of Christ whose ideas I don't particularly like. And I wonder whether I'm the heart or hands or... well, the less savory part. To me all of this speaks to the final lines of the meditation, which are as relevant now as 70+ years ago: "Let us keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, rather than the uniformity of our opinions in the bond of prejudice."

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Gentle Spirit Give Me Strength

Mar 18, 2010 at 10:41 pm

Written by Steve Doutt,

We have been meditating on gentleness during our Lenten study. Tonight, as we held hands in a sacred circle, we prayed for unity of Spirit, even while embracing our differences.

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