One Body, Many Members

One Body, Many Memberes
Rev. Mark Schaefer
Kay Spiritual Life Center
January 21, 2007--Reconciling Sunday
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

1Corinthians 12:12-31 (NRSV)
"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.

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."

I. BEGINNING

We have just heard two personal testimonies of fellow Christians who have experienced marginalization in their life in the Church. Two fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who have at some point in their lives of faith been told that they were not as welcome in the Church as others, that they were not quite the same caliber of Christian.

II. THE TEXT

It seems that divisions like this have long been a part of the church. St. Paul wrote to his congregation in Corinth about divisions that were afflicting that ancient Christian community. A debate over the necessity and importance of various spiritual gifts was dividing the Corinthian congregation. Paul uses the wonderful metaphor of different members of the body to remind that community that:

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.

Now, Paul was talking about divisions based on spiritual gifts--that is, what we would call 'charismatic gifts'--speaking in tongues, prophesying, interpretation of tongues, and so on. But the image is appropriate for whatever kinds of divisions we have carved the body up into. As I read the text, I cannot help but be moved by the words: "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all others rejoice together with it."

If one member suffers, all suffer together with it...

There are people in our churches, members of the body of Christ, who are suffering the afflictions of marginalization, based on race, theology, politics, and perhaps most pronouncedly, based on sexual orientation. There are brothers and sisters in Christ, members of the body of Christ, who are suffering from stigmas, from harassment and persecution, from marginalization. When one member suffers, we all suffer together. None of us is removed from the suffering that attends marginalization. None of us is removed from the effects of discrimination or bigotry or hate.

III. WHY RECONCILIATION?

This community has been a Reconciling Community for a long time. In fact, we may be one of the oldest reconciling campus ministries in the country. A Reconciling Community is a congregation that seeks to be intentional in its inclusiveness of all people, regardless of age, race, national origin, ability, with a special intentionality to be welcoming to gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered persons.

We do this not out of an accommodation to what is popular or vogue or "politically correct", but out of a deep and abiding sense that the love of Christ requires no less of us. When we see Christ on the cross, we see Christ with his arms outstretched--at once a sign of his suffering and a sign of his welcoming of all . Christ did not die for some. He did not die just for nice people. Or just for good people. Or just for liberals. Or just for straight people. Or just for Methodists. Or just for right-handed people, or just for any other of the myriad ways we have come up with to divide ourselves up and categorize ourselves and cut ourselves off from one another. St. Paul reminds us in Romans "the death he died, he died to sin, once for all ."

The United Methodist community on this campus has long had a reputation of being an open community, welcoming to all. We identify ourselves as a Reconciling Community not because it means any fundamental change in who we are--we would be the same with or without the label. We do it to go on record that we brook no division in the body of Christ. We do it because we believe that when one member of the body suffers we all do, and to the extent we can alleviate the suffering of prejudice by opening the door wide, we will be clear about doing so.

IV. THE MORE EXCELLENT WAY

Paul ends the passage in 1 Corinthians saying, "But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a more excellent way." That 'way' is described in the following passage, the 13 th chapter of 1 Corinthians, the famous hymn to love of St. Paul. As Paul tells us--the more excellent way is love.

Love is what formed us from the clay of the earth. Love is what gave us breath. Love is what delivered us through the flood and the Red Sea. Love is what gave of himself on the Cross at Calvary. Love is what gave us the Empty Tomb on Easter. Love is what gave the gifts of the Spirit to the Church at Pentecost. God is love and love is our Way.

When we affirm ourselves as a reconciling community, we affirm our call to love as God has loved us. This love does not require that we all act alike. It does not require that we all think alike. Indeed, we would be kidding ourselves were we to suppose that any one congregation would be entirely of one mind about any one issue--especially an issue as complex and as important as human sexuality. And we have had--and continue to have--differences of opinion within our community on this important issue. And part of being a Reconciling community affirms that diversity of opinion and belief.

But none of that need stop us from embodying the reconciling and welcoming love of Jesus Christ for all. John Wesley said, "Though we may not all think alike, may we not love alike?" Our Christian faith is not defined by our thinking--it is defined by our love. In John's Gospel, Jesus gives a commandment to his disciples before he is arrested:

" I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

He does not say, "Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you all agree with one another." What unites us is love--not theological or ideological or sexual conformity.

V. END

We have heard words of sorrow and of hurt. Words of marginalization and alienation. Words of those whom the church did not welcome with open arms. We as a community are called to affirm our commitment to suffer with those members who suffer, to turn no one away--Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, liberal or conservative, gay or straight. We are called to live out the all welcoming and all-reconciling love of Christ. Let us walk the more excellent way.

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*One Body, Many Memberes* Rev. Mark Schaefer Kay Spiritual Life Center January 21, 2007--Reconciling Sunday 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21 1Corinthians 12:12-31 (NRSV) "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. 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." I. BEGINNING We have just heard two personal testimonies of fellow Christians who have experienced marginalization in their life in the Church. Two fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who have at some point in their lives of faith been told that they were not as welcome in the Church as others, that they were not quite the same caliber of Christian. II. THE TEXT It seems that divisions like this have long been a part of the church. St. Paul wrote to his congregation in Corinth about divisions that were afflicting that ancient Christian community. A debate over the necessity and importance of various spiritual gifts was dividing the Corinthian congregation. Paul uses the wonderful metaphor of different members of the body to remind that community that: 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. Now, Paul was talking about divisions based on spiritual gifts--that is, what we would call 'charismatic gifts'--speaking in tongues, prophesying, interpretation of tongues, and so on. But the image is appropriate for whatever kinds of divisions we have carved the body up into. As I read the text, I cannot help but be moved by the words: "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all others rejoice together with it." If one member suffers, all suffer together with it... There are people in our churches, members of the body of Christ, who are suffering the afflictions of marginalization, based on race, theology, politics, and perhaps most pronouncedly, based on sexual orientation. There are brothers and sisters in Christ, members of the body of Christ, who are suffering from stigmas, from harassment and persecution, from marginalization. When one member suffers, we all suffer together. None of us is removed from the suffering that attends marginalization. None of us is removed from the effects of discrimination or bigotry or hate. III. WHY RECONCILIATION? This community has been a Reconciling Community for a long time. In fact, we may be one of the oldest reconciling campus ministries in the country. A Reconciling Community is a congregation that seeks to be intentional in its inclusiveness of all people, regardless of age, race, national origin, ability, with a special intentionality to be welcoming to gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered persons. We do this not out of an accommodation to what is popular or vogue or "politically correct", but out of a deep and abiding sense that the love of Christ requires no less of us. When we see Christ on the cross, we see Christ with his arms outstretched--at once a sign of his suffering and a sign of his welcoming of all . Christ did not die for some. He did not die just for nice people. Or just for good people. Or just for liberals. Or just for straight people. Or just for Methodists. Or just for right-handed people, or just for any other of the myriad ways we have come up with to divide ourselves up and categorize ourselves and cut ourselves off from one another. St. Paul reminds us in Romans "the death he died, he died to sin, once for all ." The United Methodist community on this campus has long had a reputation of being an open community, welcoming to all. We identify ourselves as a Reconciling Community not because it means any fundamental change in who we are--we would be the same with or without the label. We do it to go on record that we brook no division in the body of Christ. We do it because we believe that when one member of the body suffers we all do, and to the extent we can alleviate the suffering of prejudice by opening the door wide, we will be clear about doing so. IV. THE MORE EXCELLENT WAY Paul ends the passage in 1 Corinthians saying, "But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a more excellent way." That 'way' is described in the following passage, the 13 th chapter of 1 Corinthians, the famous hymn to love of St. Paul. As Paul tells us--the more excellent way is love. Love is what formed us from the clay of the earth. Love is what gave us breath. Love is what delivered us through the flood and the Red Sea. Love is what gave of himself on the Cross at Calvary. Love is what gave us the Empty Tomb on Easter. Love is what gave the gifts of the Spirit to the Church at Pentecost. God is love and love is our Way. When we affirm ourselves as a reconciling community, we affirm our call to love as God has loved us. This love does not require that we all act alike. It does not require that we all think alike. Indeed, we would be kidding ourselves were we to suppose that any one congregation would be entirely of one mind about any one issue--especially an issue as complex and as important as human sexuality. And we have had--and continue to have--differences of opinion within our community on this important issue. And part of being a Reconciling community affirms that diversity of opinion and belief. But none of that need stop us from embodying the reconciling and welcoming love of Jesus Christ for all. John Wesley said, "Though we may not all think alike, may we not love alike?" Our Christian faith is not defined by our thinking--it is defined by our love. In John's Gospel, Jesus gives a commandment to his disciples before he is arrested: " I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." He does not say, "Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you all agree with one another." What unites us is love--not theological or ideological or sexual conformity. V. END We have heard words of sorrow and of hurt. Words of marginalization and alienation. Words of those whom the church did not welcome with open arms. We as a community are called to affirm our commitment to suffer with those members who suffer, to turn no one away--Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, liberal or conservative, gay or straight. We are called to live out the all welcoming and all-reconciling love of Christ. Let us walk the more excellent way. Back to Sermons page Back to AU UMC Home Copyright © 2007. Mark A. Schaefer. No part of this text may be reproduced or otherwise disseminated without the express written consent of the author.

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