KNITTING TOGETHER
Miles McPherson stepped out of his church office one morning and was greeted in the hallway by a member of his church—a six-foot-four, two-hundred-fifty-pound, rough-looking guy covered in tattoos. He told the pastor he was heading to his first ministry meeting and he was really nervous.
“How come you’re nervous?” Miles asked. “What’s the ministry you’re joining?”
“The knitting ministry.” Then he added, “Well, actually, I don’t knit. I crochet. I was in the Hell’s Angels for twelve years. I learned to crochet in prison. It’s the one thing I can do for the Lord.” (Source: PreachingToday.com, 02/13/2013)
I chuckle when I picture a tatted-up former Hell’s Angel sitting at a table with little old ladies, knitting needles clicking, as they make blankets and hats for hospitalized children. Try and imagine the conversation.
Isn’t the body of Christ beautiful? Where else can a former Hell’s Angel and silver-haired octogenarians rub shoulders in a common mission? In any other setting, they’d probably reject each other. But Jesus loves to unite the most unlikely people and forms us into one body with a singular purpose.
Romans 12:4-5 states, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” (NLT). As parts of Christ’s body, each one of us possesses a specific purpose, and we need each other, especially during these days. Little old ladies who have served Jesus for decades offer invaluable spiritual insight to a former Hell’s Angel, and he stretches them out of their comfort zone.
This is critical. Every day it’s more apparent that we’re living in a war zone. As with any battle, warriors unite to fight side-by-side. We honor King Jesus and serve him by serving others. We’re in a fight to the finish and the stakes are eternal. It’s crucial we pick up our knitting needles and start doing battle.
Crocheting may not appear to be important, but even the smallest task, performed out of pure motives, is powerful in advancing God’s kingdom—like an acorn that grows into a giant oak tree. You don’t need to be a slick-tongued orator, or have the voice of an angel when you sing, to serve Jesus. All you need is a heart of service and a pair of knitting needles.
Principle: Jesus loves to unite the most unlikely people and forms us into one body with a singular purpose.
Ponder:
With what demographic group do you struggle most in relating to in the body of Christ?
How can you appreciate the diversity within the body of Christ in a greater way?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Romans 12:3-8.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the diversity within your body. Grant me the grace and mercy to value the differences in others, and please grant others the grace to put up with my difficulties.
If you enjoyed this article, please tell your friends, and subscribe on my website, BarneyCargile.com
Check out my books on Amazon, Thriving in Quarantine and Thriving in Troubled Times. If you like them, please write a review. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BGDW2NV