Sunday 19th February (Stewardship #2)
1 Corinthians 12: 1-7
(Matthew 5: 38-48)
Let the church be the church! We sang this vocation this morning –
The church is not a building/ the church is not a steeple
the church is not a resting place/ the church is a people!
Let the church be the pilgrim people of God always on the way ….
This morning we heard another snippet from Paul’s letter to the church gathered in Corinth. I like it very much because we hear something of the early church being the church. It’s a church full of people – and people who are learning to be the church, the body of Christ.
There’s not a lot of piousness about this church. Paul begins by addressing some of the divisions of opinion. He tells them they are babies, not ready for spiritual food (1 Cor 3:2). He urges them to build on the Christ foundation carefully.
Then he turns to some of the pressing concerns he has about their behaviour. Immorality, lawsuits,marriage and divorce, eating food offered to idols. It is learning and struggling with this vocation of the church being the new humanity in Christ. It was not a perfect, golden age church.
The church is always first people – people who offer lives to God, their gifts to build one another up, their talents in building a Jesus- shaped community and …. money to oil the budget, all those things we aspire to do and be was so vividly illustrated last Sunday!
But, we are people, the body of Christ which learns and laughs, works together and sometimes struggles with one another, a community of friends and strangers, and at is most healthy is a multi-generational gathering of people who say, through word and deed, worship and action – let’s practice being church for the common good.
The Basis of Union (paragraph 3) reminds us that the vision of the Uniting Church is called to –
“Be a fellowship of reconciliation,
a body in which the diverse gifts of its members are used
for the building up of the whole,
and instrument through which Christ may work
and bear witness to himself.”
In the bible readings this morning we heard of these activities central in contributing to the common good.
A fellowship of reconciliation … It’s a word which might convey much until there’s bit of relationship flesh upon it. The teaching in the Sermon on the Mount so vividly illustrated this morning has that piece of paradoxical possibility – love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. None of us experience persecution, but there are plenty of Christians around the world who are harassed, threatened and sometimes treated very violently for their confession of faith.
Reconciliation is changing enemies into friends. It is people who have fallen out with one another making peace. It is having a very different understandings of politics, theology , ethical or relationships choosing to find common ground because we want to treat one another with respect and and kindness, not berating or name calling. It is a fundamental task of the church which follows the way of Jesus.
A body in which diverse gifts are used for building up the whole …
Paul, after tackling some of the conflicts he has heard about, moves onto worship, the Lord’s Supper, and spiritual gifts. I don’t particularly like the term spiritual gifts because it has so often suggested to churches that there are a limited number – and the list given here can be read as restrictive and hyper-spiritual.
But the point that Paul makes is the the whole church is gifted for the common good.
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served… The Spirit’s presence is shown in some way for the good of all” (1Cor 12: 4-7 GNB)
Gifts are given and shared so the community of Christ may be strengthened in our worship, witness and service.
We learn to serve one another in the name of Christ, and take this service into the world – the community groups, the political parties, the workplace, the volunteering in which we participate. As we sing brother , sister let me serve you – let me be as Christ to you …
“An instrument through which Christ may work and bear witness …”
The organ is lying idle at the moment until it is repaired. Its contribution to our worship is still. However, as we experienced last week we had Philip and Rose playing their violins, Chris the piano, Dillon his guitar and Mary Lou her flute plus the remainder of the choir which diligently practiced. This week Joy is back with us playing the electric piano. Each of these people handle their instrument which weaves together a joyful song.
Last week about 30 people were involved in creating a 3D pie chart as they acted out the budget, those standing being $10,000 and the children and seated being $5,000.00. Church is not about money, but all those people vividly illustrated our ministries and the way people are using their gifts.
“And when people gather there’s singing and there’s praying/
there’s laughing and there’s crying sometimes all of it saying
I am the church! you are the church!”
There are key gospel phrases which undergird us:
Peace be with you.
We are the body of Christ.
Be not afraid.
Here I am.
Build on the good foundation.
As again we recall our vision in mission, let’s commit to building for the common good.
Amen, let it be.
David Carter