January 21 Sermon
1 Corinthians 12: 12-31

It’s great being a Christian pastor. Not only do I know as a Christian we have the truth, but as a Christian church here, we are connected to a larger group called the body of Christ. Years ago, every Monday morning I would get together with a co-worker to talk about church. She was Catholic, and I was Methodist. Almost every week, her priest and my pastor preached on the same text. Coincidence?

No. Actually they preached, and I preach as well using the lectionary. The lectionary has 4 texts each week, 2 OT and 2 NT. When we go with the lectionary, after 3 years, we will have mostly gone thru the whole bible. Sticking with the lectionary is also very freeing. Every Sunday our church is connected to 1000s of other Methodist, Episcopalian, Catholic, Lutheran and other churches.

This week, the text from our lectionary that all these churches can use is out of the book of 1 Corinthians. This letter Paul wrote to the Corinthians was sent to clear up some difficulties. The great theologian Paul Sampley says the first issue was Corinth’s fractiousness, where various segments of the community would try to “one up” others.
This would be expressed as boasting or haughtiness, but at other times condescension and disdain, and also thoughtlessness and inconsideration. Frequently their arrogance gains expression in claims of status that the world would value such as wisdom, elegance of speech, or wealth.

Paul’s response is great as he continues to value the distinctiveness of each Christian, yet he affirms a unity that incorporates that diversity. All thru the letter he also counters their claims…by offering himself up as an example, by chiding, by encouraging, by calling for self-assessment, and most essentially by calling for love to be employed in all situations.

Unity –-- Oneness of mind, concord, harmony, or agreement. You see, this Early Church would get together to have a common meal, break bread, read scripture, probably sing some songs, and worship. But when they got together, there was no unity in the body. Paul says there was division (the original word is schemata or schisms) in vs. 25.

Paul told us in chapter 11 that when the church got together, some would go ahead of the other people and get fat and drunk, while the others went hungry. Wesley describes the Corinthian church as separating into little groups or “clicks” which would have anger and resentment against the other.
They were usually grouped based on economic and age factors. One group would jump up and say “we are better than you, so we must eat and drink first”. Instead of unity, there was discord. Instead of one loaf of bread, there were biscuits around the room.

In verse 13, Paul says “For in one Spirit, we were all baptized in one body.” He is referring back to the beginning of chapter 12 describing some of the spiritual gifts we have. Let’s run thru those right quick.

He begins by saying “hey….you have been pagans for so long and you were enticed and led astray. Someone has been tickling your ears. But now since you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you must be led by the Spirit.” There are other gifts listed elsewhere, but the ones Paul lists here are Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Prophecy, Tongues, Interpretation of tongues.

All of these are activated by the one and only Spirit, and to each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good of all. But the Corinthian church members were not using their gifts for the common good of the church. Selfishness was the name of the game.

But Paul says in our text for today, there are many members of the body of Christ yet we are all one.
It was one Spirit who baptized us all……Jews, Greeks, slaves, free, male, female, white, black, brown, red or blue. We were all given the one Spirit.
Paul goes on to say in verse 14, that the body of Christ does not consist of one person running the whole show.

He is really getting into the unity/diversity part. He will address those who have a low estimate of themselves (or low self-esteem) and then he will address those who have a low estimate of others. “If the foot says ‘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. If the whole body were any eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where the sense of smell be?” To go back to those who thought they were not as useful, it would be like the little toe saying “since I am not the brain, I don’t belong to the body.” If we didn’t have our little toes, how would we know where the corner of the bed is in the middle of the night??

To jump ahead to verse 21, “the eye cannot say to the hand ‘I don’t need you’ and the head can’t say to the foot ‘I don’t need you.’ I really like the translation from The Message for these verses. I kind of think Donald Trump read this translation.
It says “No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Head telling Foot “You’re Fired. You’re out of here.”

Verse 18 puts it all in perspective. “God has CALLED the parts of the body, EVERY ONE OF THEM, just as he wanted them to be.” In verse 22 Paul goes on to say “those parts of the body that seem to be weaker, are indispensable, and the parts we think are less honorable are treated with special respect.” Paul uses the Greek word ‘dokeo’ which here is translated as ‘seem’.

He is saying that those who seem weak, poor, down-trodden, less worthy who usually get stepped on by those who have more money or more power or who speak as if they have more authority, must be treated with special honor. I like the way the New King James Version says it…these are the ones we bestow ‘abundant honor’ on.

The parts that are less honorable are given special treatment, while the more honorable parts do not require this attention. Why?? Those with the authority and power, and those who were able to give more money because of their resources were already getting honor out in society. This group had buildings named after them, had parties in their honor, and were able to share their resources.

When they came to the church, Paul says “hey, you get to stand on your soap box out in the world. Now that you’re here, the last shall be first.”

In verse 24, Paul says that God Almighty himself has called each one of us to the church we are in. He says that God called and brought each of you here with different gifts so there should be no division or strife.

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church. Every part whether mentioned or not, whether seen or not seen, is dependent on the others. Paul says that because we are one body, when one part suffers, we all suffer. When one part cries we all cry and are involved in the hurt as well as the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the festival.

When Paul is writing to other churches, he tells them the same thing. In Romans 12 he says “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.” In Galatians 6 he says “Carry each other’s burdens.”

Now you are the church; you are the body of Christ. Stand up and be heard. Let your voices shout out the praises of God so the rafters shake and they can hear you all across the county. He says that only as you accept your part in the church does your part actually mean anything.
God appointed first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, healers, helpers, organizers, and tongues. It’s obvious by now right that God’s body, God’s church is a complete body. We are each called to this church specifically by God. Don’t think you ended up here by accident.

Although you may only be here for a “season”, you are here because God called you here. We are not all preachers; we are not all helpers; we are not all organizers. Paul argues for diversity. He wants each person to be unique in the church.

The New Testament calls this the “priesthood of all believers”. 1 Peter 2 says “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, God’s special possession.” Priesthood does not mean clergy. Pastors are called to proclaim the Word of God and perform other functions.

The priestly function is one of bridge building, mediating, and connecting people with God. In the OT, priest served as the mediator between the people and God. Now thru Jesus Christ, we have direct access to and communication with God. This blessing is not to be kept to yourself though. You are called to be a blessing to all the nations. An aspect of this priesthood is shown when our church opens up its prayer chain. Many Christians have seen where their prayers have yielded miracles in many lives.
Jesus said “where two or three are gathered, if you follow my will, anything you ask for will be done for you in heaven.” Your priestly function is also evident when you tell unbelievers about God. By both word and works, you are called to convey God’s love to everyone.

When Moses presented this bold commission to the people in Exodus 19, “the people all answered as one, ‘Everything the Lord has spoken we will do.’” They accepted their call enthusiastically. They were of one mind. The Apostle Paul was the same. He was called to go out and convert the Gentiles to The Way.

And you, dear church, are called to go out and proclaim the Good News. That will involve telling others about your Christian life and what Jesus means to you. That will involve asking God for His will for your life. And that will involve not going your own way, but going the path Jesus sets before you, in unity with your fellow servants.

It’s time to go and desire the greatest gift of all, Paul says in verse 31. And he goes on to explain it in the next chapter. The greatest gift you can receive and give is Love. Paul describes love well. I know you have heard the Love Chapter at more than one wedding.

And I will leave you with this because it’s a great way to finish Paul’s statement to the Corinthians. Here is the way Eugene Peterson has translated it in The Message.
If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.
If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

Psalm 133
Behold, how good and pleasant it iswhen brothers dwell in unity!It is like the precious oil upon the head,running down upon the beard,upon the beard of Aaron,running down on the collar of his robes!It is like the dew of Hermon,which falls on the mountains of Zion!For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,life for evermore.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31
12For 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. 13For 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. 14Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15If 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. 16And 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.
17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21The 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.” 22On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and 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; 24whereas our more respectable members do not need this.
But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.
26If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 27Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And 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. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.