Warning: The Cheesiness of this Analogy is Overwhelming

I went on a trip to Indianapolis with my church this weekend.  It was from Friday evening through Saturday morning, and it was a great chance to connect with new people and just enjoy some time away from the academic world of studying.  On the drive back, I asked a friend of mine what I should blog about for this week.  Her reply: You should blog about cheese.

I sat there for a moment trying to think of the various things and memories that I knew about cheese.  Friday night I had sat with a few new acquaintances and we had combined Cheez Its with the filling from Oreo cookies (not as bad as you may think).  I also ate cheese puffs on Friday.  For supper, I had a salad that had a little bit of cheese sprinkled on it.  But as I thought about cheese, the thing that my brain flashed back to was a skit from the old Carol Burnett show (Yes, I know that I should be too young to remember it, but my parents raised me on the classics!).

There was a skit with Tim Conway from the Carol Burnett show where he has to weigh a half pound of cheese.  I found a video of the whole skit on YouTube, and it is below.  If you're in a hurry, the part that  I will be referencing is from 8:55 to 11:00, although it's all pretty funny.

Basically the butcher has the whole block of cheese and can play it like a flute.  Then, when there is only a little of bit of cheese, the customer tries to blow through it and can't bring out a single note.  While using cheese as a flute probably isn't all that realistic, it does create an interesting analogy about the body of Christ. 

One of the things that we really focused on during the road trip was how important having community is.  In order to serve God, we need every single piece of God's body.  We also have to be willing to be vulnerable with each other and be our true selves when we are together.  This is messy, and it can be difficult to show your true self at all times.  It can also feel burdensome to let people see your rough edges.  In the end though, when we all come together as the body of Christ, or as one block of cheese, we experience a kind of community that is without description.  It' a kind of community that can't be broken down.  When one part hurts, the other part hurts.  And when one part rejoices, the whole body can dance (or be a cool cheese block flute).

  For just as each of us has one body with members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Romans 12:4-5

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

F.y.I.  I know I've missed 2 weeks in a row on my blogs.  Once I figure out a day when I consistently have time, I will hopefully start blogging once a week again.