Quilted Together in Love

I love quilts.  I love seeing them at the county fair or in gifts shops where they are usually incorporated into some sort of display that portrays the country lifestyle -  something homespun, that might remind you of your grandmother’s or great-grandmother’s house. Something “down on the farm,” perhaps.

I love the intricate patterns and beautiful colors.  I can imagine the time, patience and love that are required to put a quilt together. I can imagine the comfort that quilts bring when they are used to soothe a baby, to help a child fall to sleep, or to bring back memories to the mind of an aging loved one.

As some of you may know, there are many various types of quilts.  There are names of different patterns and styles, some which harken back to particular era of history.  But there is one type of quilt that is very unique and doesn’t seen to fit any pattern:  the CRAZY QUILT!

Crazy quilts are made of patches of random sizes, shapes, colors and fabrics.  I’ve seen some crazy quilts that are very beautiful;  even though they appear to be random, there seems to be some thought that has gone into their design.  I’ve seen some others that, well, I don’t think they would bring much “comfort” to the one who may have to use it.  The colors may be dark and almost depressing; some are almost garish … a mismatch of colors and threads that certainly wouldn’t bring me any comfort.

But I found that there is another definition of “crazy quilt” that I thought was interesting:  a crazy quilt can be used to describe a “disorganized collection of things.”

Couldn’t the term “crazy quilt” be used to describe the Church, or some churches we know about, or maybe even our church? I mean, what was God thinking, bringing people of all different colors, backgrounds, upbringing, temperaments -- varying sizes, shapes, colors and fabrics -- together into one body?

And there’s Paul, exhorting us to love one another Colossians 2:2:  “I want them to be encouraged and knitted together (or united) in love.”  Is this even possible?

Yes, Yes, it IS! We are called as followers of Christ to live in unity, even though, as a body, we have many parts. We probably all know the I Corinthians 12 passage where Paul talks about the body of Christ.  Just as our individual physical bodies are made up of different parts -- the hand, the eyes, the feet, etc. -- God has placed each part in the body just where he wanted them.  He also has placed us as individuals (unique in age, size and shape, backgrounds, talents) just as He wants us in the Body of Christ.

And best of all … the pieces/parts do not have to be perfect.  God takes us just as we are!

No matter what type of imperfection we have – brokeness, sinfulness, or even “craziness” -- God can stitch each of us together in this “crazy quilt” of His love.

The thread that ties us together -- quilts us together- - is the love of Christ. We accept and learn to love each other, all of our parts, even though some may be very different from us.

Remember that we are tied together in this church, ABC, and in the larger body of Christ, by his love and showing that love to others.

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  (Hebrews 12:14)

This is one way that we can help and support each other; to show that we are “quilted together in love!”