sermon excerpts: Body Work

... This is where we connect to the Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. We see within the fledging congregation that Paul himself founded, that there was trouble. Reading between the lines, there is a power struggle.

Perhaps collapsing under the weight of their own success, as more people are drawn to that community of faith, as more people wanted to get involved, to contribute to, and participate in, that ministry, there are problems. I detect envy and competition, when Paul writes about the importance of everyone’s gifts and contributions. There is some hostility there too, as he’s reminding the people that everyone has value and deserved equal treatment and respect.

He is seeking to quell petty squabbles and makes a simple comparison to the human body. Paul makes the basic point that we are stronger together than apart, that each piece of the team has a role, that the body is made up of many parts and cannot function without everything working together.

In our day and age, if we’re talking about bodies, it becomes an exercise of appearance and grooming. Fashion magazines and television tell us what a beautiful person looks like. Popular opinions and trends dictate if we’re desirable and attractive. The beauty myth and fashion industry play havoc on our self-esteem and our sense of value, all for the sake of profit.

I fear that Paul is setting the church up for failure. Sometimes when we hear scripture about the ideal church and how it should be, specifically from a revered expert like the apostle Paul, we get down on ourselves because we are not like that description. Because we know that our church is not actually like that. We hear too many stories of congregations splitting apart over differences of opinion, and know how hard it is to actually be the body of Christ.

Paul has written wonderfully about how interconnected we are, using the example of our human bodies. But it begs the question: what about bodies that are not complete? For whatever reason, birth defect, leprosy, farm accident, someone who is missing a finger or hand or foot, an eye or an ear? We know that our own bodies are imperfect. Cancer is where the body turns against itself, or cannot recognize that belongs and what doesn’t, sending our immune systems askew.

Recognizing this about Paul’s teaching, we still discern that our church and its many functions is not the complete body that Paul imagines. He mentions apostles and prophets, teachers, miracle workers, speakers in tongues, interpreters. Even taking into account the differences in society, geography and history, our list doesn’t match his.

We look at other churches and then ourselves and see that despite our best efforts, the Sunday School program is an occasional happenstance, our youth group would be a family outing, and the nominating committee struggles to fill places without overloading people with too much.

Further in Paul’s letter, he doesn’t deny that some parts are more important than others… or maybe it’s that all are important, but not valued equally. He gets a little complicated in his formulation about modesty and value, and assures us that less honourable parts carry greater honour.

He mention of the weaker parts of the body and I don’t think he means the appendix or tonsils. Perhaps he means the parts that are more vulnerable. The brain cannot be exposed to the wear and tear of our daily life, nor can the heart or lungs. They are protected and encased in bone. The skull and the ribcage offer protection to the parts that are most important to our survival. It’s ironic how fragile the source of our strength is.

Maybe, in our churches, we are protecting the wrong things? Putting too much energy into items or programs that are not essential? Just a question the church as a whole, not necessarily this one.

But one thing that does stand out from Paul’s letter is the assumption that church is a community, a gathering of people, seeking to live out their faith. It is not a building, it is not a minister, it is about the joys and troubles about working together and staying together.

When one part suffers, we all do. That is true enough. We are connected, not just in an abstract spiritual way or through broader family relations and friendships, but through systems of economy, politics and environmental care. We don’t have to go very far in the world to find that these connections are readily made and rediscovered. The body of Christ is always close at hand. And so we make a difference in places near and far, as we visit with one another, calling and emailing each other, assisting through Habitat for Humanity, Christmas for Everyone, and the Mission and Service Fund.

We are called to be the body of Christ at work in the world. Mind you, it is an imperfect body, but one that is fuelled by will and determination to survive and grow. This church family, this particular body, is an important part in the greater congregation of Christian fellowship around the world and throughout history. We have joined with others in the pursuit of a better world.

No, we cannot be the perfect body, we cannot be the perfect church, bringing everything to everyone, being all things to all people. Remembering that we are all equal, born of the same spirit, we can work toward the same goal: compassion for one another, closeness with the divine, sharing of God’s peace and living in hope of a better way.