Yours Are the Hands of Christ: The Practice of Faith

Take spirituality into the real world.

Jesus didn't "become flesh" so we could feel different. He came to this world so we will be different.

Often our spirituality seems invisible and mute to a hurting world. Many of us simply internalize faith out of fear, feelings of inadequacy, or choice. A faithful response to discipleship's call, however, is both inward and outward.

Through Howell's study, you'll find ways to apply faith to your daily life and make evident your commitment to Christ. By considering all that Jesus did with his hands as a teacher, a healer, and a compassionate servant, Howell challenges readers to be the hands and feet and love of Christ in the world.

"Christianity must become something real, tangible, something that pervades all that we are," writes Howell. "It must become something we do. In our culture, for Christianity to have any meaningful future, we must get serious about a genuine lifestyle that is holy without being elitist, engaged with the world without being jaded or self-righteous, active and busy yet prepared to cope with failure."

Howell's inspiration for this work comes from a poetic meditation written by Teresa of Avila, a Spanish nun who lived in the 16th century. The poem begins:

"Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours."

Howell connects these words with the apostle Paul, who wrote in 1 Corinthians 12: "Now you are the body of Christ."

Express your faith through action. Be the hands of Christ today to a hurting world.

James C. Howell is senior pastor, Myers Park United Methodist Church, Charlotte, NC. A native of Columbia, SC, he studied chemistry and physics at the University of South Carolina. He holds a PhD and MDiv from Duke University. Howell has published 20 books, including Why This Jubilee?, Yours Are the Hands of Christ, and Servants, Misfits, and Martyrs. Biking, hiking, and reading fill his spare time. He and his wife, Lisa, a photographer and community activist, have three grown children.