Practicing Faith Together

by Rev. Teri Summers-Minette

Preached Jan 24, 2010 at Grace Presbyterian Church

Luke 4:14-21; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free -- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

SERMON

Today’s reading from Paul to the church in Corinth is probably one of the more familiar readings in Scripture. Almost no Sunday goes by without us saying “we are the body of Christ.” Its familiarity can lull us into treating it as a sweet image of “how we all gotta get along.” Becoming the body of Christ may sound like a nice sentiment, but it was not an easy task in Paul’s time nor is it in our own time.

Paul wrote to the early church at Corinth because it was coming close to being pulled apart at the seams. Throughout the letter we discover Paul is chiding them for their inequality among members. The rich folks are partying hardy at the Lords supper, having a grand old time while leaving scraps for the poor people who had to come in later. This correctly leaves us with a broken image of the community of faith.

The church was split into many factions, each of which was sure that they were right and that everything would be fine if the other folks would just stop being stupid and do things the right way. It’s amazing that Paul didn’t give up on them, because the way they acted was in sharp contrast to a community which lived together in gratitude to the Savior who died for them.

By God’s grace Paul did not give up. Instead, he wrote one of the most beautiful exhortations about what it means to live in a community of disciples, dedicated to the one Lord who brought salvation to them. We really don’t know how the community at Corinth responded to Paul. But we do know that the message must have had some impact. Otherwise Paul’s message probably would not have been shared with other Christian communities and thus preserved for us today.

Well that’s fine for Corinth but what about Grace in Grove. Let me tell you about a couple I’ve met whose names are Mike and Susie. They’ve been looking for a church to attend. Being modern, open-minded Protestants, denomination doesn’t matter too much to them. But they have a checklist of qualities which their new church must have: a great music ministry; a children’s ministry which has lots of activities during the week; mission trips to exotic locations. Things that will heighten the experience of church for them.

In our consumer-driven culture, we choose many relationships for utilitarian reasons: relationships which offer us some kind of advantage. Mike and Susie aren’t so different from us. For example I have made friends with certain professors because I thought they’d be good job references for me. Dan and I are getting to know our new neighbors because we assume that if they know us, they’re more likely to watch over our house while we’re away. Personally, I want to be a member of church small enough that people will notice if I’ve been gone for a couple of weeks.

Forging relationships which may be of benefit to us is not inherently wrong. Everyone needs to be spiritually fed: our cups need to be refilled, and we need the nurture and nourishment which only a healthy church can offer us. We are the beloved children of God, and as such we are expected to take care of ourselves.

But, as Paul points out, basing all of our decisions for joining a church on the instant gratification it will give us right now, isn’t what a Christian community is about.

If Mike and Susie choose wisely, they’ll consider other attributes for their new church home. According to Paul, church is where all are encouraged and expected to practice their faith. As my colleague, David Jones says, “church is a hospital for sinners, not a country club for saints.” Church is where people can search for purpose in their lives without being criticized for not already having found it. A place where we can openly question our beliefs and share our doubts without fear of judgment.

At the healthy church, we encourage each other in our spiritual growth to form a deeper relationship with Christ through the context of community. We come in search of opportunities for Christian fellowship and for service to all God’s creation. We are the body of Christ, not here to only be recipients of ministry, but to also be contributors to ministry. As one body, we respond to his saving grace together, forming an authentic community. A place where we are known and accepted with all of our many blemishes and disabilities. A place of belonging where no matter what our faults, we can always come home.

The oneness in the body is born out of shared religious experiences, a solidarity rooted in common participation in acts or practices of faith. In worship, in sharing our lives; in caring for other members of the body, in mission, in the sacraments of baptism and communion. Through these acts, there is a mutually shared union in Christ. If we at Grace are going to be the community of choice for Mike and Susie, we will be an inviting community where all are encouraged and expected to participate as members of the body. One community, composed of many people whose diverse gifts are embraced.

This is Paul’s vision of the church. Not a hierarchy of job roles, functions and responsibilities within some complex organization. Rather the authentic church is produced from many people with diverse gifts who are practicing faith together to create one body, in one Lord, through one Spirit. It is through real sharing and caring within our community that we come to know God loves us.

The authentic church is built on a foundation of divine love, divine hospitality and divine inspiration. We see this in Luke’s gospel lesson today. After his baptism when God declares him to be the Beloved Son, and following his temptation in the desert, Jesus returns to his home in Nazareth. According to Luke it is here, in his family’s backyard, where his ministry begins. Yet it turns out to be a hostile place.

Therefore, the foundation for his ministry and mission is not the community where he was raised. Rather, it is the Father and Holy Spirit who are necessary for the fulfillment of Jesus’ work. Luke says Jesus is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit when he returns to Nazareth. So, when faced with a skeptical home town, he can still finish reading Isaiah 61, sit down and calmly say, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

The time of God’s love, Christ’s hospitality, and the Spirit’s inspiration is today. The body at Grace has been commissioned by Christ to practice our faith together. We are to participate in the mission of the church: to extend the love of Jesus Christ to all people, and to provide opportunities to discover the Spirit at work in one another's lives and in the world.

I have not been here long enough to see what specific mission the Spirit is urgently called Grace to do. However I’ve seen some of gifts which the Spirit will use in our mission. I see strength in the fellowship we share each Sunday following worship. I see an active youth ministry which serves many youth from outside of our congregation. I see people deeply dedicated to the body at Grace. I’m sure that there are many other gifts that I will become aware of as I continue my own ministry here.

I sincerely believe that the Spirit is at work here and has been for some time. I believe that if we sincerely pray as a community “thy will be done” that we will come to know how our gifts will be used by God; and where the Spirit is leading us.

Today the Spirit is here saying to us, “Today the scripture is fulfilled. Live today in love as one body, using your abundant gifts to bear the good news to the world so that the blind may see and the lame may walk; so that the captive and the oppressed may be free of chains which bind them.”

Like Christ, today we are filled with the power of the Spirit. God has made each one of us indispensible to the body of Christ. So let us renew our commitment to live this truth. Let us strive to blend our gifts so that our oneness in the Lord becomes manifest. And, in doing so, we will open the door for the Holy Spirit to take us to where we never imagined we could go.