A Kidney and a Pancreas walked into a Church

As you can tell, this is not a post in the “Critical Questions of the Bible” series. We’ll get back to that. But I was thinking …

We are learning a lot about parts of the body that we didn’t even want to know about. Namely, the kidney(s) and pancreas. 

Kidneys have many functions, and they are essential. If they don’t function, then you are going to have problems, big problems. The trouble is, poor kidney function is not readily apparent in a direct way. A person usually does not say, “Oh, my kidneys are out of sorts.” Rather, you might retain fluid and your blood pressure might go up. Filtering will decrease, and you will fill up with toxins.

So what happens when a kidney walks into a church? Well, a lot of good things happen. That person (part of the Body) will contribute in a whole lot of ways, but largely anonymously. We tend to take these people for granted, but we could not be a healthy church without them. We might notice them most when they become ill or are absent. Sometimes that’s a little too late. Let’s thank the Lord for kidneys among us.

When a pancreas walks into a church, it’s a slightly different story. We have been told that the pancreas is the most fragile organ. I thought, “Oh, so handle with care!” But then another medical person called it an “angry” organ. It doesn’t like to be handled. Then I thought, “Oh, let’s keep our distance.” When the pancreas gets “angry” because it has been handled, as happens in a transplant, it shows its displeasure sometimes by secreting digestive enzymes. Those are great in the digestive system, but not outside of it.  There are people who walk into a church fragile and angry, who when handled in a way they do not like, give off destructive enzymes. You’ve met people like that.

And so I had to think, am I more like a kidney or a pancreas? Now maybe you would say that you are neither. You probably think you are the brains of the operation. Well, good for you, but we know that Christ is the Head, so, actually, you are in a lower position. But evaluating myself, I have found that I’ve become more sensitive; more prone to react to criticism; less tolerant. These past couple of years have been very difficult for many people in several ways. Perhaps you can see some changes in yourself as well. And we need to move back to where we once were. We need to “guard our hearts.” We need to be humbled. We need to remember that we are not lords, but servants.

Two other points: one is that the church is a body of believers. The true church as a whole is the Body of Christ, and Christ has only one Body. But it seems that each local church is a local manifestation of that cross-generational and cross-cultural Body. Thus, even in the local church, we have many members who function in different ways. We therefore need one another. Kidneys, feet, eyes - they are all needed. And even an occasional pancreas. We need each other and we need to appreciate each other.

The other point is that we all, those saved by grace, are still sinners, and that we are in a process of becoming more like Jesus. We are not yet what we one day will be. And so we confess and receive forgiveness; and, as God is patient with us, we are patient with one another.

I was talking with a friend whose wife was seriously ill with a very sick liver. She needed a transplant, though doctors doubted that she would live until the transplant date. Then, her liver began to be renewed on its own. On its own? I don’t think so. I’m sure God was doing the renewing. And may we all, whatever parts we may be, experience that kind of renewal.