Celebrities and ‘Normal Folks’ – We’re All Part of the Same Body

We have a curious human tendency to accord high esteem to society’s “celebrities.” These are people who, either by virtue of fortune or fame or position, are deemed important, deserving of greater status and respect than “normal folks.”

Musicians, movie and TV stars, elite athletes, politicians – these are the “E.F. Huttons” of our day. When they speak, we feel compelled to listen, giving credence to what they say. Even when it’s outside of their areas of expertise. This can be good, but also can be bad.

This happens within Christian circles, too, when attraction to noted speakers, authors and musicians sometimes borders on idolatry. Most of the “superstars” of the Church today are very different from those that received lots of attention when I was beginning my faith journey decades ago, but the glorification given to them is the same.

It's as if there are two classes: the “somebodies” and the “nobodies.” As if people like you and me don’t matter. We’re just here to fill pews, undertake odd jobs no one else wants to do, applaud the “special” folks’ performances, and put money into the offering plates.

Reading the Scriptures, we discover this isn’t a new phenomenon. Using the human body as a metaphor, the books of Romans and 1 Corinthians both talk about the Church, comparing it to the body which has made parts that perform a wide variety of functions. For example:

“The body is a unit, though it is made of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they are one body. So it is with Christ. For we are all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we are all given one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

The problem occurs when we start thinking that one part is more important than another, as the passage goes on to explain with tongue-in-cheek imagery:

“If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?” (1 Corinthians 12:15-17).

Our pastor recently illustrated this in one of his messages. He observed that at business meetings, when seeking a consensus, someone might request, “All in favor, raise your hands.” No one says, “All in favor, raise your feet.” Does this mean hands are more important than feet? Try walking on your hands all day and see how that works for you. Or attempt to compete in a 100-yard dash using your hands.

During my dating days, when my friends and I spoke about girlfriends or young ladies we found interesting, we would say things like, “She has beautiful eyes!” But never once did any of my buddies say to me, “Man, she’s got beautiful ears.” That might work for rabbits, but for humans, the eyes have it. 

Taking this comparison a step further, we also talk about trying to see “eye-to-eye.” Interestingly, I’ve never heard anyone suggest, “We really need to try to hear ear-to-ear.” Even though, with all the division that exists in our society today, maybe that’s what we really need. (More on that in a future post.)

Concluding his discussion of the similarities between the human body and the Church – the body of Christ – the apostle Paul writes, “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be…. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that are unpresentable we treat with special honor…" (1 Corinthians 12:18-23).

We tend to take many parts of our bodies for granted, especially things like knees and feet. But try tweaking your knee while your running, or stubbing your toe while making a nighttime trip to the bathroom. Then we suddenly realize how important those parts are.

In the kingdom of God, the preachers do play an important role. As do the worship leaders, soloists and musicians. Along with the gifted authors of books that touch our hearts and challenge our spirits. For those of us who rarely if ever find ourselves in the spotlight, however, this doesn’t mean we’re not a critical part of the Lord’s eternal plan.

The Scriptures tell us that whoever we are, whatever we do, we matter to God. We’re exactly where He wants us to be – at least for the moment – and if we’re willing to be used by Him, we’re serving exactly as He desires for us to serve.

Years ago I suffered under the misconception that there were two categories of Christians – the “A team,” consisting of pastors, missionaries, evangelists and performers, and the second string, we could term them the bench warmers. I’ve even seen people shrug with resignation, “Well, I’m just a layman.” Today I would respond, “Just a layman?! Do you have any idea what a layperson can do for the kingdom of God? Are you kidding me?”

Looking back, I can see at least 10 “lay people” God has used to make profound impacts in my life for every professional, vocational Christian worker. I could fill this blog with their stories for the next year if I chose to do so.

As the Scriptures say, those individuals that are “unpresentable” – that for whatever reason aren’t asked to bask in the spotlight – should be treated with special honor. They are the ones who, if they weren’t there to fulfill God’s calling on their lives, would be sorely missed.

Nothing Out of the Ordinary

We’re enamored by famous people, celebrities and superstars. We gather by the thousands for their concerts. We throng to their public appearances and book signings. Judging by the array of gossip magazines and tabloid newspapers, not to mention late-night TV shows and online “news,” we can’t get enough information about them.

An industry has emerged with the sole purpose of making people famous for no reason other than being famous. Members of the Kardashian family and “stars” of other TV reality shows come to mind. Many of us know far more than necessary about people like Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, and Justin Bieber. If you were to ask any of them to identify their greatest achievement to date, they should answer, “Becoming famous.”

It takes people of all kinds - famous
and unknown - to build our lives.

Yet fame and being famous aren’t as important as we might believe. For every well-known individual that’s become a household name, hundreds, even thousands of people who will never gain public acclaim are making noble contributions to society. Consider the soldiers in the Middle East, serving for low wages, facing daily threats of being killed or maimed. Law enforcement officers have received lots of negative attention of late – at times justified – but countless thousands quietly walk their beats or cruise the streets, poised to step forward to protect us if needed, even knowing they do so at their own risk.

When we visit a doctor’s office or get admitted to a hospital, nurses whose names we’ll never remember attend to our maladies and offer comfort and compassion. We hear about “teachers of the year,” but countless others equally deserving of honor instruct in obscurity, solely for the joy of helping to influence young minds in a positive way. When we enter our 24/7 supermarkets and see products neatly displayed on shelves and floors swept and mopped clean, it’s because of not-famous grocery clerks faithfully performing their jobs virtually unseen.

The list could go on, but every day we benefit from ordinary people doing things that make our lives a little easier, safer, cleaner and more enjoyable. Each time I’ve read the Bible, it’s struck me how God seems to have a special affection for plain ole, ordinary people.

Years ago I heard a little song, “Ordinary People,” written by Mom Winans. (Not to be confused with other songs also called “Ordinary People,” by John Legend or Neil Young.) The one I’m thinking about has a very simple message that affirms we don’t have to be famous or someone extraordinary to make a difference. Here’s a portion of it:

Just ordinary people,

God uses ordinary people,

He chooses people just like me and you

Who are willing to do as He commands.

God uses people that will give Him all

No matter how small your all may seem to you,

Because little becomes much

As you place it in the Master’s hand.

Think about it: For decades Christianity’s most famous person has been Dr. Billy Graham. Each of his worldwide evangelistic crusades attracted many thousands, but by the time he arrived in a city to speak, most of the hard work had already been done. News releases were sent and advertising paid for to publicize the event; venues were secured and then prepared for the huge crowds; many people gathered to undergird the meetings with prayer; volunteers handled myriad details; friends invited friends to attend, and plans were made to follow up on people responding to the messages.

Jesus Christ spent most of His time hanging out with ordinary people. In selecting His disciples, He didn’t choose civic or religious leaders, the “movers and shakers” of the towns where He spoke, taught and healed. He chose obscure fishermen, humble folks, a despised tax collector. Acts 4:13 tells us, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

For the first 30 years of His life on earth, Jesus also would have been described as ordinary, a simple carpenter. Early in His ministry, He returned to His hometown and began to teach, but some of the townspeople resented an “ordinary person” having such impact. “’Where did this man get things things?’ they asked. ‘What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:2-3).

The Scriptures are littered with accounts of how God used common, unassuming men, women, and even children to carry out His work. This should encourage us all, knowing we don’t have to be the smartest or most articulate or most skilled person for Him to utilize in a very special way for His glory. He loves to use the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary. As the song says, “little becomes much as you place it in the Master’s hand.”