Scripture 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a (NRSVUE)
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.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
Sermon
I don’t suppose many of you are following the ongoing saga of the breakdown between Prince Harry and the British royal family? I am, almost against my will, because someone I am very close to follows it, VERY closely. She is Team William and Charles, while I am Team Harry.
It’s sad to be witness to the breakdown of a family, regular or royal. We have all seen it, whether in our own families or in the families of our friends. Sometimes it has to do with politics, something we are seeing more and more these days. And sometimes it’s simply about personalities and temperaments. As much as we’d like it to be otherwise, families don’t always stay united in the bonds of love.
I think this may be why, when searching for the right word to describe the connections between members of the church, Paul did not settle on “family.” He undoubtedly witnessed the breakdown of many families over their faith. Many Jews who chose to follow the Way of Jesus became estranged from their families because faith in Jesus seemed to fly in the face of belief in one God. Paul saw that, where faith was concerned, families sometimes couldn’t overcome their differences.
And so, he hit on the remarkable metaphor of the body. Last week Paul was talking about Spiritual gifts. He was working to persuade the Corinthians that their gifts didn’t make them superior to others in their congregation, because all gifts were from the Holy Spirit. He goes on to say: “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.”
All you have to do to understand this metaphor is to remember the last time something really hurt. You broke your toe. You had a screaming headache. You had to have a dental procedure. All these parts of our body are absolutely connected, you know how we can tell? Because when something hurts, we can’t get away from it. I’m not referring to the efficacy of pain relievers, but the reality that pain in one place makes us hurt, period. As Paul says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it…”
Similarly, think of something that felt really good. I made myself a bowl of oatmeal yesterday with a cut up apple, some raisins, cinnamon, and local honey. I am still smiling over the pleasure that gave me—and it didn’t affect only my taste buds. It affected my brain, which is what brings the whole body together.
This is why Jesus is the head. It is he who brings the body together, who makes sure it has eyes and hands and hips and feet—all the things it needs to do its work. When we have work to do—let’s say, the laundry—our bodies work to make it so. Our head tells us where the items are that need to be gathered together; our arms carry the basket to the laundry room with the help of the feet and legs. Our hands load the laundry, perhaps with the help of our waist and knees, as we bend or squat to pick things up and drop them in. Our fingers place the detergent where it needs to go, turn the dials, close the door, push the buttons, and there it goes. Our ears hear the alarm when the cycle is done. And on to the dryer. Such a simple task but look at all the cooperation, the coordination that is needed to make it happen.
And that is the life of the church. Each of us has our role to play—which I realize is a theater metaphor but stay with me—for everything we do. Just think of Sunday worship, and all the preparation that goes into it, from the work of our building staff ensuring that the sanctuary is clean and neat, to the ushers making sure the cloth and candles and cross are where they need to be, and the musicians practicing, and the media team getting ready to livestream and to make sure everyone, whether in the sanctuary or online, can hear what they need to hear and see what they need to see. The liturgist and preacher with their information and preparation. The congregation, preparing to pray and sing and listen and share. On communion Sundays, the deacons laying the table for us all to dine with the Lord, and the ruling elders offering each of us the sacrament in bread and cup. And this is just Sunday. We are all the Body of Christ, and individually members of it. Each of us plays our part. Shoot! Theater. But you get it.
This is why conflict that takes up the time and focus of a church is so detrimental. How can we focus on being the church—on sharing God’s love through our Food Pantry or in worship, or in outreach, or with each other, if we are focused on hierarchies, or proving we are superior, or maintaining above all else that we’re right and the other guy is wrong? The answer is, we can’t.
In fact, sharing the Good News of God’s love is arguably the point of the church. This week the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, shared that very message—that scripture tells us, that Jesus Christ teaches us, that the love of God extends to the outcast, to the immigrant and refugee, to the trans man or woman, to our LGBTQIA siblings. She has now received countless death threats and been excoriated for “perverting the words of Jesus.” She did not pervert the words of Jesus. She relayed them. In Jesus’ words, from next Sunday’s first reading,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” ~Luke 4:18-19
Jesus’ work is our work. Jesus’ ministry is our ministry. Jesus’ love is our love to share.
At the end of this passage, Paul reminds the church at Corinth, once again, that a diversity of gifts is good. Let’s have all kinds of people who can do all kinds of things, to whom the Spirit has given a great variety of gifts for the common good! But then he hints at something else—that there are greater gifts for us to strive for. He sets the stage for the next part of his persuasive writing, and I guess I just can’t help it with the theater metaphors this morning. But the best, as Paul suggests, is yet to come. And for us that means, next week.
For today? It is for us to ponder what parts in the body of Christ we might make up. Are you the eyes? The ears? The running feet? The strong legs? The mouth? Whatever part you are, you are essential. You are needed. God created you for holy purpose, just as God created all of us. And God sent the Spirit who is ever near, the Holy Breath our souls breathe, and the ONE who is waiting to help us to understand our place in this most beautiful body.
Thanks be to God. Amen.