Therefore, it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. (Ephesians 4:8, 11-13)

Much can be said, has been said, will be said about the need for Christians to volunteer in their local church. The fact is, the Church runs on the generous participation of its members, their time, gifts, talents, resources, and yes, their time. Often, pleas for volunteers are made by trying to appeal to the needs of the church or even to guilt members into stepping up. But I’m reminded of what Mother Teresa of Calcutta said:

Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Jesus, in his bodily human form, ascended into heaven somewhere around 2,000 years ago. He is no longer here to lay hands on the sick, to cast out oppressive spirits, to proclaim the Good News to the poor of spirit, to minister to those who are imprisoned or hungry or naked or outcasts. Yet, the ministry of Jesus is meant to continue until his return. How? Through us, his people, his Church, his Body on Earth. Mother Teresa’s admonition that Christ has “no body now on earth but yours” is not only a plea for us to step up, it is a bold proclamation about the Church itself. If we are not being the eyes, the ears, the hands, the feet, the mouth of Jesus in the world, then can we claim to be his Body at all? And, if not his Body, then are we really followers and disciples? And if not followers and disciples, are we really “Christian” in a biblical sense? It is only in being the Body of Christ to the world that we become the Body of Christ bound for heaven. The call to ride this glory train to our heavenly home is tied inextricably with the call to minister to our neighbors. We cannot have one without the other! So, I invite you to pray this prayer in earnest: