St. Paul had several images for the church — a temple, a building — but the one he kept coming back to was “a body.” This worked for him because it spoke of the unity of the church built up by diversity. All the parts of the body, though many, are one body. You can add or subtract from a building without harming its integrity. Not so a body, a body is meant to be whole and entire with all of the diverse members playing their part. This reminds us of how important it is that continually work to keep everyone connected to the body, to ensure that everyone knows they belong. The body is diminished, harmed, when there are members who have drifted away.
