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| Bihsop Sandra Steiner Ball |
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.” Romans 12:1-8 NRSV
By Brenda Leigey
The Annual Conference was blessed to begin their Saturday morning with a Bible study lead by Bishop Sandra L. Steiner Ball, Episcopal leader of the West Virginia Conference.
Drawing her message from Romans 12:1-8 and selected verses from 1 Corinthians 12, Ball said, “The purpose of Bible study is to examine and help us to see what it means to be one in Christ.” Ball then led those gathered in prayerfully singing, “O Lord, open our lips and we shall declare your praise.”
Ball, in preparing to read from Romans 12, said, “The Bible tells us about us and tells us about God and how that all works together. This book is a fantastic story that binds us together in ways that helps us be better in the mission God has called us to.”
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| “The Body of Christ” | Artist: Becky Collier Doman © 2007 | The U.S. Library of Congress |
Ball presented an image that is part of a larger painting by artist Becky Collier Doman. Doman was inspired when reading Scripture and seeking to know and understand what it means to be one in Christ’s body. The painting (pictured below) is called, “The Body of Christ.” Ball introduced it by saying the morning Bible study will be under the “backdrop of God.” The slide displayed various positions of human eyes as a motivation for us to have God open up our inner eye to wrestle with ourselves to see and outwardly to grasp what God calls us to do and be.
Ball said the letter of Romans is a gift to us. Paul wrote the letter of Romans to be a letter of love that reaches out and encompasses all people. It fits well with our Wesleyan understanding of prevenient grace – a grace that assures us that God goes before us and God chases us, woos us, pursues us, even though we are still yet sinners.
Our response to the letter written to the Romans is that we are to turn the entirety of our lives to God, so that daily we are transformed by Christ. A process that involves heart, mind, will, and actions as we become new persons who want what God wants. It is a process of becoming one in Christ, which is a matter of heart, mind, and spirit.
Beginning with Romans 12:1-2, Ball invited those who gathered to listen for the words that come to their mind from the passage: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (NRSV)
Ball then pointed out the first word of the passage, “Therefore.” “Therefore” lets us know that the verses are connected back to something else; something that has come before. Referring back to Romans 6:1-2, Ball shared that Paul did not want people to know that simply believing is not enough, because that will cause us to live in a way that is not what we are called to do. True faith should result in something more – the living of holy lives.
Paul in writing to the Roman Christian community instructed them about the connection of body and spirit which is essential in our lives. Our bodies are part of our whole being; sacred and beloved of God. Paul also shares with the Roman Christians that we are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, a holy sacrifice. We are to live as one with Christ, saying yes to Christ and making a decision to dedicate our lives to following the example of Christ.
Going back to Romans 12:1-2, Ball talked about what it means to “not to be conformed.” Conform looks like fitting in, following the crowd, moving from one thing to the next. Instead, we are to be transformed. We are to be molded and shaped by the kingdom of Christ, to be one in Christ. It is by the grace of God that we are being transformed to be something different than the world. This involves the physical and the mind, for behavior follows belief. We become what our minds consume.
Paul calls for us to let God transform our minds, be transformed of the stuff that leads to a change that is transformed to more Godly thoughts and living. We should do this because it is what is good and pleasing, perfect will of God. Unfortunately, some people believe that God’s will should model their own will.
Ball then moved on to verses 3-4 of Romans 12: “ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function.” (NRSV)
Grace is given to us for the renewing of our minds; to think of ourselves realistically and humbly. We have no right to feel superior to those who have different gifts. Followers of Christ do not put down or tear apart others, but lift them up. None of the gifts we receive are for our boasting but for building up individual members – sharing our gifts because of the grace given us.
Ball then referred back to the first slide by artist Becky Collier Doman.
“It is the eye in the Body of Christ” reminding us that we are to be God’s eyes in the world. The eyes are the entry into our hearts. The hands represented are God’s love outreaching and encompassing us.
The second slide is a painting of another aspect of the body of Christ. Paul talked about the church being the hands and feet of Christ. Holding up one another when we cannot stand on our own; upholding others when they cannot hold up themselves.
The third slide represented the Body of Christ as we remember Christ through the sacraments. The means of grace as we are knitted together; one with each other; intersecting the divine and the human.
The fourth slide displayed the experience of sound represented by the ears of Christ; not just the hearing but the receiving of the word that will become one with us. When Christ calls out to us, our response is to receive the word, offering it as a witness to others.
The fifth slide was a painting of a mouth and how our mouth can be a significant gift if it is used with renewed minds.
The sixth slide is the receiving of the Holy Spirit through the water of baptism; the water used for foot washing through the Spirit of God reminding us of servanthood as the body of Christ.
The seventh slide depicted the body of Christ as each panel connected together to take the shape of the cross; representing the flow of the Holy Spirit as the feet are firmly planted on the Bible and grounded in faith to allow God to move us to not be conformed but be transformed through the renewing of our minds. A journey to be traveled throughout our lives, through physical and spiritual feeding.
Ball emphasized, “We are One in Christ. All the panels, all the colors, the bands of the color, (the Holy Spirit) reflect that we are all unique and we have different gifts. We are not all the same, but one in the body of Christ.” The picture is not complete if not all of the colors work together. As the colors work together in harmony, so should the body of Christ.
Ball then lifted up the seven gifts of the Spirit that Paul talks about: the gifts of prophecy, service, teaching, exhorting, giving, leadership, and compassion. All these spiritual gifts are given by God to be used on the behalf of others.
This is what the body of Christ is to be: One in the Body; One in Christ. We are to be God’s blessing to others.
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The video of the Bible Study with Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball on Saturday morning, June 2, of the 2018 Susquehanna Annual Conference can be viewed at tinyurl.com/susumcAC2018video
