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January 21, 2007 Rev. Steve Gehlert Paul has a troubled, troublesome church on his hands, in Corinth. The precise difficulties in Corinth are a matter of speculation. We can infer that there were divisions, disputes, infidelities, and a host of other problems that made this group a candidate as poster child for Paul's worst congregation. It's just those difficulties that made this passage so powerful for me as I thought about it. Paul, in writing to one of his most difficult of churches, uses a metaphor: The body of Christ. Paul says to them something that he says in a number of places in his letters, "Now you are the body of Christ." This is a rich, rich passage, and in the past I've focused on many aspects of it. I've often focused on what Paul says about the various members of the body of Christ. Paul says that we are all members of a body, and we all have different functions and forms. The arm is not superior to the leg, but each of them has a certain role to perform in the body, the body of Christ. And I have preached lots of sermons that move in that vein. "You are all different members of one body," I've said. "You have diversity of gifts. Some of you are good at one sort of ministry, but others of you have a gift for another sort of ministry, etc." That's all clearly an important part of the message of this passage. It challenges us to discover what it is that each and every person has to contribute. It calls us individually to ask which part of the Body we are. It calls us as a community to ask whether have we gathered all that is there into the Body so that it works as one with many important parts. For when people come into our faith family and see each person respected, participating, and celebrated, they see a modeling of God's Kingdom, the rule of God's love, and take heart. I've also talked about how the image of the church as a "body" makes a strong statement about our unity in Christ. I've asked about the marks of such unity. And in response pointed out that Paul says that the body has been formed so that "there may be no dissension. " Then, tried to make clear that, on the surface, that sounds as if uniformity of thought and voice is required. However, dissension translates the Greek word schisma. It's literal meaning is "to divide in parts or tear in pieces." I've noted that we need to be watchful about those who through charm, or gossip, or lies, or bitter party spirit, would "divide us in parts or tear us in pieces." I've also lifted up what Paul says about a lack of differing opinions not being the sign of unity. The mark of unity is that members of the Body have the same care for one another." Unity comes from care that shares both suffering and rejoicing. Unity emerges in the care that allows members to speak their minds, to differ sometimes strongly, but know that there is a care that unites them, and allows them to work together. So, that they can share their disagreements and go home as friends. But this time around the phrase that reached out, grabbed me, shook me and became a Word of God to me was when Paul says simply, at the beginning, "Now you are the body of Christ." It is amazing that Paul would have made that sort of statement to this sort of church. For a number of chapters he's been hammering them for all of their woeful inadequacies to be the church. They ought to be ashamed calling themselves Christians and acting the way that they have acted, with their fussing and feuding, doctrinal ignorance, petty divisions, and cowardly disloyalty to the way of Christ. But even after all of that, Paul blurts out, saying directly to them, "Now you are the body of Christ." It really struck me. Paul doesn't say something like, "You ought to be the body of Christ," or, "If you work hard, someday you might be able to be the body of Christ." He just says flat out to them, "You are the body of Christ." It's an amazing thing to say about a group of people like them. It would be an amazing thing to say about a group of people like us! Think about the words with which Jesus began his first sermon. Those words from Isaiah, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners, to grant recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and proclaim that this is the year of the Lord's favor. And, after he read it, he said, "Today, these words have come true in your hearing." If we're his body, that's who we are, that's what we're to be about, that's our purpose, what we live for. Can we say that? Can we say that such are being fulfilled in us today? But if Paul is right, what I have to say to myself or anybody else who has doubts about that is – take it up with Jesus. We are it! Just as we are, warts and all - we are the Body of Christ. Like it or not, for all our faults and failures, for better or worse, we gathered here, in this church, in this place, are God's answer to what's wrong with the world, we are the body of Christ, the only visible form the risen Christ takes in the world, the way good news to the poor, release to prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom for the oppressed, and proclamation of God's grace, comes to the world . . . You are the body of Christ! Despairing, ready to give up congregations, where there's few children left, where the struggle with the culture seems lost and most people find something else to do on Sunday morning, and the people, energy, and money are just about gone, and nobody can imagine that God could use what's left for anything. They need to hear. Somebody needs to say to them, "You are the body of Christ!" Arrogant pastors, who arrive at a church knowing just what it needs before they take time to know the people, their gifts, or their wisdom, who bestow their plan, gather a group (if you flatter enough it's not hard to do) to back them, and then, say to those who don't go along, "maybe you'd be happier somewhere else." And, then, if they say, "But this is my church I don't want to leave," begin labeling them, "the evil people." (Yes, it happens!) Somebody needs to teach those pastors to see, to believe, and to say, to their people, "You are the body of Christ!" Thank God, for the heritage of discerning and honoring each other's gifts, of resisting those who'd charm us into division, of caring enough to embrace diversity, not only of background, but of ideas and opinions. Thank God there's enough love among us that we can say without doubt. "We are it! Just as we are, warts and all - we are the Body of Christ. Like it or not, for all our faults and failures, for better or worse, we gathered here, in this church, in this place, are God's answer to what's wrong with the world, we are the body of Christ, the only visible form the risen Christ takes in the world." Thank God, I can say, with confidence, gratitude, and joy, "You are the body of Christ." |
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