Summer and winter Christians - Hope 103.2

Summer and winter Christians

By David ReayTuesday 2 Sep 2014LifeWords DevotionalsCultureReading Time: 0 minutes

Transcript:

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

12 The human body has many parts,but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews,some are Gentiles,some are slaves,and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit,and we all share the same Spirit. (NLT)

This passage is rightly understood to refer to the differences of abilities and ministries within the church. We are not clones of one another. We each have a part to play. But this principle of diversity can have a wider application.

Within the church there is a diversity of temperament and personality. One writer has described some Christians as summery and others as wintry. The summery variety are likely to be exuberant,always seeing the evident glory of God. They seem full of the joy of the Lord. The wintry Christians are more likely to be embarked on deep and uncomfortable soul searching,all too aware of the mysteries and ambiguities of the faith.

The point being that neither type is a poor advertisement for Christianity. Neither type can claim to be God’s special favourites. In fact,each needs the other. The summery Christian needs to be reminded that there is pain and suffering in our life,that God’s love is not always a felt experience. The wintry Christian needs to be reminded that the sun still shines beyond the clouds,and that even in the desert we can still praise God.

Our churches need both types of Christians. There is truth and value in each perspective. Just as summer and winter are a normal part of our earthly life,so too should summery and wintry Christians be a normal part of our church life.

Blessings
David Reay