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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
The Book of Acts Bible Studies
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
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3rd Sunday after Epiphany (C) Grace, mercy, and peace be with you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! Our second reading scripture texts for this Epiphany season – beginning last week and continuing through February 7th – are all from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Today I would like to begin my sermon by giving you some background information as to what the Corinthian congregation was like. The church at Corinth was a congregation that was experiencing a lot of problems. A number of factions over various issues had developed within their midst. To list just a few: 1. Different groups each had their own favorite pastor. One group liked Paul, who had been the founding pastor of that congregation. Another group preferred Apollos, a great preacher who had come to Corinth after Paul. Still another group claimed allegiance to the leadership of Simon Peter. Each group not only emphasized their favorite pastor, but also tended to disparage the others who were not their favorites. Does that ever happen in churches today? 2. There was a major controversy among the Corinthians concerning the eating of meat. One group thought that eating meat was absolutely wrong – that Christians should only eat vegetables. The other group, of course, saw nothing wrong with eating meat. The problem was that each group sought to impose its particular understanding of that issue upon the whole church. The “vegetarians” portrayed the meat eating group as being sinful and even evil – while the meat eaters in turn often looked down upon the vegetarians and characterized them as being ignorant, misguided, and perhaps even “un-Christian” for not being as open and accepting about things as they were. Hmmm – Does THAT issue seem rather “contemporary” within our own denomination today? 3. Different groups emphasized their own particular “spiritual gifts” at the expense of others. Some of whom had the “charismatic gift” of speaking in tongues, for example, insinuated that having this particular gift made them more “Spirit-filled” than other Christians who did not speak in tongues like them. Needless to say, the ones who did not speak in tongues did not take kindly to that attitude – and reacted as we might expect – by trying to drive those who spoke in tongues out of the church! I could go on and on about other controversies and factions that were in Corinthian church, but I am sure that by now you have a good idea of what Paul had to deal with in his letter. Somehow, he was trying to get the Corinthians to understand that in Jesus Christ we are to be united together rather than to be divided by various issues and opinions. In today’s second reading, Paul uses the example of a BODY to show what this unity in Christ should be like. As he writes: “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.” Paul is reminding the Corinthians – and us – that even though a body has many different parts, it is still one organism. And like a body, we as a church are a community which has many different kinds of members – but whose most important characteristic is that we love each other and work together through Jesus Christ. This is something that the Corinthian congregation, with all of its factions, had tended to forget. They were emphasizing their differences and the disagreements that they had with each other instead of focusing upon their unity in Christ. Sad to say, this is still often all too true with Christians today as well. Different denominations will often emphasize what divides them from other denominations instead of remembering that we all belong to the body of Christ. Even among Lutherans, some will refuse to worship with other Christians – let alone have communion with them. May God forgive us! And even in a single congregation, there can be factions who feel so strongly about something which they want or what they believe to be right that they neglect to care about others who have different preferences or understandings. But Paul reminds us that the health of the congregation as a whole and what binds us together – is much more important than any differences we might have. Paul goes on to write: “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.” Paul’s point here is that differences are not necessarily bad – and indeed can even be good. Indeed, the diversity among us – in our talents, in our spiritual gifts, and yes, even in our beliefs and opinions sometimes – all serve to enrich the total body of Christ. We need each other precisely because we are different, because as a body with many different parts we can be and do so much more than if everyone were all exactly the same. As a church, the goal is not for us to get others to become just like us. The church as a whole throughout the world, for example, would be much poorer if we were all Lutherans, or all Catholics, or all Baptists! Each denomination, with its unique traditions and particular theological understandings, has something to contribute to the health and vitality of the Christian church as a whole. The same is true for us in congregations as well. Here at Pella, for example, we have a lot of diversity among us which serves to enrich us as a whole. Some people here are comfortable in being in a public role, while others prefer working behind the scenes. Some among us like trying new things, while others are much more cautious and conservative. Some among us are young with a certain outlook and style, while others who are older may see things differently. But when we are open to listening to each other, learning from each other, respecting each other, and genuinely caring for each other – even though we are different in many ways – then our congregation is at its best! Paul goes on to write in today’s second reading: “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.” 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.” It is kind of like a team which needs every player doing his or her part in order to succeed. I know that many of you are looking forward to watching the NFL conference championship games today (and yes, I resisted the impulse for us to sing "When The Saints Go Marching In" as our opening hymn this morning! :). Anyway, in preparing for this sermon I came across what is called “The Super Bowl Version” of today’s passage - part of which reads: “The team does not consist of one player, but of many. …And the coach has arranged the players of the team, each one of them, as he chose. If all were quarterbacks, where would the team be? As it is, there are many players, yet one team. The quarterback cannot say to the tackle, ‘I don't need you.' Nor can the defensive ends say to the running backs, 'We don't need you.' On the contrary ... if one player suffers, the team suffers together with him; if one player is honored, the team rejoices with him." Just as a football team will not do well unless all of its players are working together for the common good, so it is with us as a congregation. We are not all the same, but we are by God’s grace united together as a team – as the body of Christ. Today, as we have our annual meeting here at Pella, I give thanks to God for the diversity of this congregation and for its unity. We have many different ministries going on in our midst – and many different people with various backgrounds and outlooks about things – but we are not a church of factions. We are a congregation that is united together in and through Jesus Christ – and thereby are giving a powerful witness to the reality of God’s kingdom among us as we work together and love and care for each other in Jesus’ name. Yes, we are indeed the body of Christ, and individually members of it. Thanks be to God for the unity we have together through him. Amen! -------------------- Pastor George Karres 418 W. Main St. Sidney, MT 59270
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