Rev. Paul Tellstrom

Irvine United Congregational Church

Epiphany 3C      “One Body”                        

January 21, 2007

Epistle Reading: 1 Cor. 12:12-31a                                                                        word count: 1,475

            At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Jack Lipton, a psychologist at Union College, and Scott Builione, a graduate student at Columbia University, presented their findings on how members of the various sections of eleven major symphony orchestras perceived each other. 

The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun loving.  Some members of the orchestra denied that percussionists were musicians at all.  String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and out of condition.  The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose “loud” as the primary adjective to describe the brass players.  It was the woodwind players that were held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though quietly judged to be a bit egotistical. 

These are interesting findings, to say the least!  With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music?

            The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subor-dinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor.  Under the guidance of their conductor, they play beautiful music.

            This analogy works well with Paul’s words to the church in Corinth—the orchestra is, of course, the members of the church, and the conductor is present in the Spirit and as the Spirit.

            The phrase “unity in diversity” is descriptive of us as we each bring our own different kind of music to the story of faith that is told here.  We are clearly different, we each bring new instrumentation, tempos and forms to the whole, which, when demonstrated together, lifts up one resolved chord.

            Paul is saying much the same thing in today’s reading.           

            Paul is addressing a church that has some problems, and he is the founding pastor.  There is a church fight going on. Someone is sleeping with his step-mother.  There is confusion about roles in the church.  In the previous chapter, Paul is telling the men not to cover their heads in worship, because they are the image and glory of God, while women, though church leaders, should cover their heads. 

It has been said that Paul never met a status-quo he did not like, and it is the same with slavery—with over 2/3 of the Roman world in slavery, Paul did not speak against it, yet he believed his words, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body; Jews or Greeks, slaves or free; and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” 

If all can come together at the same table in one spirit, then how do you view anyone as “less than” yourself?  Theologian John Knox describes Paul’s theology as a “the seed that finally split the rock of slavery.”

            And though he dispenses what is clearly sexist advice in the chapter before, if we were to begin with the sentence after today’s reading, we would hear, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”  These are among the most beautiful words about love written, not only in the Bible, but anywhere and from any author or poet.

Paul has told the Christians at Corinth that spiritual gifts come through a source he names as the “Spirit” and are given for the benefit of the whole community.  When he turns to the nature of the Church, he uses the analogy of the human body.  Paul’s theology is this: that whatever our ethnic or social origins, he believed “we were all baptized into one body”, and empowered by the same Holy Spirit acting in the Church.  When he gets to verse 14, we get to the key to Paul’s understanding of the church: the body needs various members; so too the Church needs various spiritual gifts, each making its own contribution.  In verses 15-20, Paul makes the point that all members contribute in various ways to the welfare of the whole. 

Diversity is rooted in, and contributes to unity.  (In verses 21-25) Paul says that each member needs every other member, whether he or she is strong or weak.  This applies in the community as it does in the body.  In this way, the community is peaceable, without dissension; each cares for others.  When one suffers the whole community does.  Paul applies these principles: “you” Corinthian Christians, are both one body and individually its members. 

Perhaps what Paul is really suggesting is that all of us seek to grow in the use of our gifts, great or small, given to us to the best of our ability.

What an interesting moment in time this is.  What a unique church.  Today we come together for an installation, to recognize that we will move together as different parts of the same body into a new time.  I have been looking forward to sharing this day with you.  Our Winter meeting is coming up next week, and we see our strengths and weaknesses, new challenges and a renewed spirit.  We will experience this as we welcome in new members next week at both services.  You will have a revised mission statement to vote on, and a brand new vision statement that goes like this:

“Irvine United Congregational Church seeks growth in spirit, fellowship, and number by strengthening our capacity to serve our neighbors and community; by caring for each other as God cares for us; by inviting others to be a part of our community of faith; and by working to transform individual lives and our community through the power of God’s love in human action.”

Church Systems author David Ray says, “A church that knows who it is and why it exists, will find the ‘how’ to be the kind of church God is calling it to be.”

How is this orchestra playing its parts?  Where is the level of understanding that each member has for the gifts of those who play in other sections?  If the Conductor encourages us to play our best, at this season and without our fore-knowledge, the “best” that is called for is a sense of care for those who are going through some very difficult days; while looking forward to a future that always begins, “now.”  The various parts of this body bring with them great gifts. 

Paul says, “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.”  You are what has been appointed for this church—you, the saints who went before, and those who will come through these doors in times to come, bringing their pain, their questions, their search for meaning, a sense of joy, and ultimately the ways in which they will strengthen you and you will strengthen them by becoming one stronger body of Christ.

Paul says that each member needs every other member, whether he or she be strong or weak.  In other words, there is a time for the individual to step up to the challenges of being the church, and there is a time to step back for healing.  You are allowed to depend on the community of the church for support and for the church to recognize the responsibility to give that support to you.

Paul’s words are, “But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the hurting 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.”

This has been a difficult time for many people here.  For some, it is in great personal loss, and in health concerns.  For others it has been the task of removing themselves from a longstanding faith community, landing on our shores as Pilgrims, and wondering if the natives were friendly.  And, theirs is a struggle shared by many of you individually, who found you were no longer welcome in the church you came from for a variety of reasons. 

I invite you to come together in this safe place and share your feelings of loss, no matter how recent—sometimes the sense of loss remains fresh for years.  Allow yourself to be healed by the body of Christ that surrounds you.

But most of all, know that we are from one source, to whom the player from every section raises his or her own particular instrument; the singer raises her voice, the parts come together, hearts tuned to the music of the spheres, one body, made of many parts, serving its best for the whole.  Let’s strive for the greater gifts and build this body up—yours are the gifts that the Spirit has given you to bring to this place at this time.

Scripture for Sunday, January 21, 2007 

Epiphany 3C

1 Corinthians12:12-31a

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 by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body; Jews or Greeks, slaves or free; and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 

For the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot should 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 should 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 be the hearing?  If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?  But as it is, God arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as God chose.  If all were a single organ, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.  The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, “have no need of you.”  On the contrary, the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those parts of the body which we think less honorable we invest with the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require.  But God has so composed the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior part, that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 

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 workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in 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 with tongues?  Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the higher gifts.