Our society encourages individualism with phrases like “Don’t tread on me” and “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” This seems to stand in contrast to Paul’s letter to the church of Corinth where he suggests that although we are individuals we are meant to unite as one body, the body of Christ. As the body of Christ, no part or individual is any greater than other and each is dependent on the others, an interdependence centered in Jesus our Christ.

In his Letter from Birmingham Jail of 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Moreover, I am cognizant of the inter-relatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

When do we see the effect of our words, choices and actions on others? Recognizing that we “all fall short of the glory of God,” what is Christ’s message to us? In what ways is God nudging you to make a difference in our world?

Prayer: God of infinite possibilities and limitless grace, guide this day in thoughts, words and actions to share your love with all people. Amen.