Indispensable

There is no denying that our world is divided. It seems like every other news headline, podcast, and bestseller talks about the unprecedented division that we experience today. And unfortunately, the Church has not been untouched by this division. While these divisions are complex and nuanced, I was struck recently while reading one of my favorite passages of scripture by what is perhaps one overlooked root cause of our division. 

1 Corinthians 12:11-26 “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”  

I have long loved verse 22, which claims that, contrary to popular opinion, the weaker body parts (or at least the parts that “seem to be” weaker) are critical. This verse reminds us that our assessment of weakness and strength may not always be the same as God’s assessment, and that those who have been rejected and shamed by the world – such as people with disabilities – are critical parts of the body of Christ.  

But the verse that jumped out at me recently was v. 26 which alludes to one of the reasons why God designed His upside-down kingdom to include an inter-dependent diversity of people and elevate the “weak”: “…so that there may be no division in the body…”  

 God has designed the church to value and prize the rejected, marginalized people with disabilities as a way to protect against disunity and division. Could it be that one of the reasons we face so much division in our churches today is the lack of people with disabilities and particularly people with disabilities in leadership roles?  

Of course, the reasons for disunity are deep and complicated, but this passage leaves me wondering if one step on the pathway toward greater unity in Christ is building inclusion for those “indispensable” people into our churches. We’d love to hear your stories of how disability inclusion has affected your church’s “togetherness,” or to discover with you how it could! 

The Banquet Network is the result of God inspiring a convergence of men and women to live out His heart and passion for people with disabilities. We are driven by Luke 14, and many other Scriptures, in which God reveals His love and compassion for the sick and suffering in this world. We know that people with disabilities, like all people, are indispensable members of the Church (1 Cor. 12) and we want to see the Church reflect this truth more faithfully. We believe that every church - even smaller congregations — can do something to invite people with disabilities to “the banquet”. We have many dreams, but most of all, we dream that more people and families affected by special needs and disabilities would be invited to the banquet of salvation. To learn more about who The Banquet Network is, go to thebanquetnetwork.com/whoweare 

Amberle Brown is a Co-Founder for The Banquet Network. For more stories like this one, go to our blog page, or click to connect, learn or donate to the mission of The Banquet Network.