Sherry Sterling

Dear friends,

I recently heard a community band perform a free concert, big band style, with horns, drums, guitar and bass, and a piano player dancing at the keyboard. They were a lively bunch, having fun at their craft, and most having played together nearly 30 years.

I marveled at their talent, and felt a bit of jealousy for their fun in serving together…if I’d only stuck with the flute past the 8th grade band…

Then today’s New Testament reading reframed my longing.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he reminds us that we’re all members of one body, and all are given different gifts to share. And we’re all needed: “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

While Paul prefaced this with a message for humility, reminding the readers to not think of themselves and their particular gift as better than another, I’m reading the message to also encourage us when we may not lead with confidence—to value the gifts we have, to come forward with what we’ve got, to offer them for the good of all.

We’ve all been gifted with something to offer to the greater whole.

Have you considered what your gifts are? What do you share in your belonging with others? Let’s have fun with offering them up!

Peace and love,

—Sherry