Sunday 23 January 2022 at BBP – Now you are the body of Christ

Readings: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30a; Luke 4:14-30

MESSAGE: “You are the body of Christ.”

1Co 12:27 “ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

So we’re back. Welcome back.  It’s good to be together.

The wonderful thing is that being together physically in a bigger group is only one aspect of being the body of Christ – this New Testament term for the church.

There are quite a number of churches who haven’t yet got together on Sundays.

But the work goes on.

The body is networked and meets in small groups or one on one to encourage one another. Or like our Friday Zoom coffee group meeting online – where they are just there for each other in different ways.

It’s the relationships that matter I suspect. Think of the families that remain separated after these two years. Not at all easy.

This whole MIQ story has created great pain. And more pain when people who live here abuse these terrible kiwis who are trying to come home.

What does it mean to be a Christ-follower – a disciple – in this situation?

And how do we respond to all the complex issues and divided opinions?

There are a couple of things that stand out in the readings today.

The Corinthians are getting a little bit of revving or chastising on this matter of gifts and status only because they were a disunited bunch where people were really badly behaved. The letter doesn’t reach a climax in chapter 13 on love (which Sean will unwrap for us next week) for nothing, Chapter 12 ends with this: “And now I will show you a better way:”

They were getting told off by Paul because people were treating others as inferior – pointing to themselves as superior really. Hence the extended metaphor of the body’s members or parts all being important. Those of you with a troublesome toe or like me an ankle will know how important those individual parts are. (No I can’t blame the ankle for weight gains over lockdown and Christmas! Its those mince pies I think!)

Paul therefore says that “…there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” (Verse 25).

The theological reason for this appeal is earlier in verse 13: 

1 Co 12:13  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Ring any bells? Galatians 3:28? My favourite verse on unity. Especially no male or female. We are all one. (Gal 3:26  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, Gal 3:27  for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.)

Or more recently when I spoke from Colossians 3:11:  Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. (He  goes on of course: Col 3:12  Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Col 3:13  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Or in Ephesians 4 –  so key to church life:

Eph 4:4  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; Eph 4:5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism; Eph 4:6  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

• When Jesus started his ministry in Luke 4, he reads from the prophet Isaiah in his hometown synagogue:

Luk 4:18  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,

Luk 4:19  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

As much as we try to spiritualize these groups of recipients of the good news, there are implications for the marginalized and excluded or badly treated by people of power (the oppressed) – or those in prison. Jesus is interested in them.

• In Luke 4 – when the people hear about him at first, Jesus’ reputation has preceded him as they are amazed at his teachings.

• When he says that the scripture is fulfilled in their hearing, they get a bit more concerned. (Who is this guy then? )

• When he tells them that a prophet is not welcome in his own hometown, reminding them of God’s blessing on non-Jews in the Old Testament – blessing that widow of Sidon in a famine and the healing of Namaan the Syrian leper  –  well let’s say they’re less than thrilled.

They try to throw him off a cliff. What  a lovely way to end a synagogue service.

Pull these two together – the conflicted Corinthians who had to learn that the least were just as important – and Jesus’ extended circle in his hometown Nazareth who needed to hear about God loving and blessing people whom they had written off and despised (I guess like the Samaritans too – Jesus sorts that out doesn’t he in the parable of that name) – and we discover that the Jesus’ way is somewhat inconvenient.

He kind of wraps this up in his teaching elsewhere that we should love our enemy and pray for those who persecute us.

It’s easy to vilify people and cast aspersions on them, playing the blame game or the indignant kind of scandalous conversations we have about people who are different. Or whose views make us angry. Or whose decisions and attitudes rile us. Like our government. I have to be humbled regularly by the reminder that we are to pray for those in authority.

Yes we can disagree or even walk away from people who are really toxic  – we can put up barriers and boundaries to protect ourselves from dangerous people. But we have to love them like Jesus loved us – at least committed to praying for them to be blessed and to be changed by his love.

Jesus loved us first. Remember these words in 1 John 4?

 1Jn 4:9  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1Jn 4:10  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

And Romans 8?

Rom 5:8  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He loved us with the desire to bring us to our senses and to repentance and wholeness and ultimately inclusion in the body of Christ, so that we could love others as he loved us.

The wonderful thing about grace is that we are welcomed just as we are.  I come just as I am.

We can find a sense of belonging when a local church family welcomes us – we can then grow in faith and believe – and in time we behave differently.

This pandemic has raised the level of blame and rage against people with different views.

We have to be different. Above that.

Because we are the body of Christ.

Yes, they may be nutters in our view who cause us to mutter under our breath but the really do matter.

No matter how important they think they are or how insignificant they may feel. We can’t say “I don’t need you” says Paul.

Because we are the body of Christ, and especially in the body of Christ.

We are the voice and the feet and the hands of Christ – the example – those who show forth grace and love – and simple human kindness.

Who when the Holy Spirit anoints our lives become more compassionate like Jesus – who wept over the crowds in the cities and towns where he went because people were helpless and harassed – like sheep without a shepherd.

This communion meal we share involves eating symbols of sacrificial love.

We eat and drink things that are symbols of a death born out of hatred and blame, condemnation and rage – and receive new love and life, with power to love.

It’s a radical position to take because we die to ourselves in doing so.

We declare we are a new people who are different.

Paul in Romans 15, puts it like this:

Rom 15:1  We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Rom 15:2  Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. Rom 15:3  For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Rom 15:4  For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Rom 15:5  May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, Rom 15:6  so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 15:7  Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Amen!