Part of the Whole

A Sermon preached at the Family Service on Epiphany III, Jan. 27, at St. Augustine’s Wiesbaden

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Luke 4:14-21

[Illustration with the help of a volunteer ... one hand clapping, standing one one leg]

What does that tell us? That often one part of a body does not function well on its own. That we need two or more. That we can do more together. I don’t think Paul was into this sort of play acting, he preferred to write letters, lots of them. But even in letters he uses images and illustrations and in today’s extract from his letter to the good, and sometimes not so good, people of Corinth, he uses the idea of the body and organs and limbs to tell us what the church should and should not be like. 

His ideal picture of a church is one that is diverse, made up of many different people with different backgrounds and talents: “The body does not consist of one member but of many.”  (1 Cor. 12:14) No member, whether of the body or of the church, is worth more or less than the other: “On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.” (12:22) And none of them can exist on their own: “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?” (12:17) All are needed if the body, and the church, is to function properly.

Just as God is responsible for are bodies are put together, God also arranges us as parts of Christ’ body, that is the church. Paul lists apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, those who speak in tongues and those who interpret them. We have some of these talents here too. We have people who feel sent into the world to proclaim and serve, we have people who speak up about injustice, we have teachers, we certainly have miracle workers …. How else would all our concerts and events function so well and so successfully! I’m not certain about those who speak in and interpret tongues, except of course in the sense that English is not everyone’s first language and we need to be ready to help and support them.

Paul’s list is not exclusive anyway. God has appointed in this church also people with lovely voices who can sing or read to others, second people who are good at building and repairing things, God has given us Gerhard to look after our garden. You are all friendly and some of you are particularly talented in making people feel comfortable. And last, and not least, some of you are leaders. And we hope to see new leaders at the AGM when we elect the Vestry. This list too can go on and on. Nobody, especially not priests and pastors, can do everything…and we are not meant to! Paul’s image of the body tells us that God wants us to cooperate. When we use and acknowledge each other’s God-given talents and abilities anything is possible. Sharing resources, time, and especially our gifts is what makes things work.

Sadly, the Church has a long history of not acknowledging and accepting its peoples’ talents and gifts. Why do you think Paul had to write this letter to the Corinthians? They believed some members, the poorer ones, the slaves, the women, were worth less: weaker, less honourable, or less respectable.

But before we look down on them: Can you imagine refusing a great singer just because they were black, or a great preacher just because they were a woman, or a great teacher just because they were LGBT? Our (wider) Church did, and many other churches still do. While none of the above are an issue here anymore, we must still also be watchful, mindful of Paul’s admonition, that we do not refuse anyone because of who they are, where they come from, or even how long they have been part of the church. 

In Paul’s image, we should be so closely connected that we are feel for and with one another: “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.” (12:26) Being able to share in each other’s joys and sorrows is therefore another sign that we truly are the body of Christ. 

Last and certainly not least we need to remember that what holds the body of Christ together and what unites the diverse parts. We were baptised into one body, Paul says. We made a common declaration of faith and of the action resulting from that faith. We drank of one Spirit, God’s Spirit, Paul continues. We renew that common bond every week when we share Christ’s body and drink Christ’s blood in the bread and wine made holy. These are the greater gifts Paul tells us to strive for, for they are the gifts of God, for the people of God.

Amen.