After we read these powerful words from two of Paul’s letters what is there left to say? Is there anything in this that we have not heard before? The thing is that either you get it, or you don’t – and if you do get it, you may struggle with living it out – certainly you will struggle with those who don’t seem to grasp the import of what Paul is expressing. Each one of you knows you could walk into any Presbyterian Church in Canada and find those who understand and embrace these words from Paul’s letters to the churches in Rome and Corinth. You will also find those who don’t – people who judge too readily – who are constant stumbling blocks to the harmony of the church – people who see the gifts they have received as their own accomplishments – who dismiss the service of others because it does not meet their expectations – people who sneer at activities that are not their idea – people who are not focused on that which makes for peace – for mutual upbuilding and the common good. And the Presbyterians are not unique in this – Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists, Uniteds, and non-denominational community churches all suffer with the same dysfunction.
Despite our imperfections as disciples today we rejoice in Christian unity and ecumenical cooperation as we celebrate the eucharist on this World Communion Sunday. The history of the day is interesting to note…
The tradition was begun in 1933 by Hugh Thomson Kerr who ministered in the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Apparently, Dr. Kerr first conceived the notion of World Communion Sunday during his year as moderator of the General Assembly (1930). The idea grew out of the Division of Stewardship at Shadyside. It was their attempt to bring churches together in a service of Christian unity – in which everyone might receive both inspiration and information, and above all, to know how important the Church of Jesus Christ is, and how each congregation is interconnected one with another.
It was then adopted throughout the US Presbyterian Church in 1936 and subsequently spread to other denominations. In 1940, the Federal Council of Churches (now the National Council of Churches), endorsed World Communion Sunday and began to promote it to Christian churches worldwide.
It is this concept of resolving division and honouring our interconnectedness that I want to follow up on today.
It is this concept of resolving division and honouring our interconnectedness that I want to follow up on today.
What Paul is seeking to do in this letter is a major task of each ruling and teaching elder as they participate in the building up of the community of faith within a context of diversity. Paul’s constant goal is to call the Corinthians to understand their corporate existence as the church. When we read his words, we must hear ourselves addressed as the church – not as individuals – not even as distinct congregations – but as members of a community that confesses “Jesus as Lord.” Paul is working toward bringing the disorderly, siloed, divisive and self-centered worship practices of the Corinthians under control so that the church as a whole can be nourished. When we listen to what Paul has to say we need to first reflect on what it is that interferes with our shared life – what diminishes our coming together as a community of faith – what sucks the life out of us. We need to look at our own dysfunction and determine what we do that is not for the common good – what does not make for peace and mutual upbuilding.
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians specifically addresses a community experiencing conflict, where some who thought of themselves as spiritually enlightened or specially gifted, looked down upon those they thought less spiritual or not as gifted. In particular, the gift of glossalia or speaking in tongues was prized in Corinth as the crowning and confirming gift of the Spirit. Paul, however, doesn’t prioritize – there are many gifts of all different kinds – some can run a meeting, others sing with enthusiasm – some play one instrument – others a different one, some listen compassionately, others speak the truth in love, some organize events, others participate with joy. The key is to remember that all we are, all we do, all we can be is from God and not of our own creation and this is just as true of the person sitting next to you – just as true of people you know as those you do not yet know.
Not only that but whatever is in us to contribute comes from the Spirit for the good of the whole community of faith – spiritual gifts are not stars in our personal crown. Every gift is given for the common good and must be exercised in the church for the sake of the ministry to the whole community. As soon as they start to be treated as possessions for performative glory, private thrills or personal power, they become corrupt and begin to cause dissension. Gifts of the Spirit are not for show or power but for the building up of the church, for the common good.
When I taught school, dissension was an ordinary part of many days – kids are like that I suppose – some adults too – and an important skill for educators is to learn how to deal with discord and conflict. One of the most effective things I taught the children in my care was that they needed to measure their behaviour against a simple question: “Is it helpful or hurtful?” When you want to throw snowballs at one another, the question is not whether it’s fun – it is fun! The question is, is it helpful or hurtful? When you want to talk aloud in the classroom, the question is not whether you have something burning in you to add to the conversation – the question is does it help or hurt the learning of others? When you engage in an argument, the question is not whether you are right – perhaps you are, the question is, is it helpful to argue?
The same pattern can be employed in our context. When we complain about the time spent at meetings, the question is not whether we like meetings or not – we don’t have to like them. The question is, is it helpful or hurtful to complain or to enter the meeting with a negative attitude? The question is, is the work we are engaged in together helpful or hurtful? When we become frustrated because it seems the same people always do all the work, the question is not whether we are right to be frustrated and to feel overburdened – maybe we are, the question is, is it helpful to participate in the life of the church overcome by feelings of frustration or does it hurt our relationship with God and our relationships with others? When we complain and argue about decisions and hopes for the future, the question is less about which way is right – there probably is no right way – people have different ideas and dreams about the ongoing vitality of the church and there are various paths we can follow, trusting God’s steadfast guidance. The question is, is complaining and arguing helpful or hurtful – constructive or destructive – does it serve the common good?
Paul addresses the readers of his letters as brothers and sisters – siblings. They were communities divided, exploiting one another, some seeing themselves as more righteous – yet Paul calls them one body in Christ. It is a reminder that as we seek to live in Christian community, we are bound to experience conflicting opinions, visions, and attitudes – it was normal in Paul’s time, and it is normal today.
When Paul exhorts the Roman church to resist being judgmental – to stop worrying about food and drink – he is telling them – telling us – to stop being petty and to focus on what matters: righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. When Paul reminds those in Corinth to celebrate the varieties of gifts they have received from the divine Spirit he is encouraging them and us to simply be about the business of using our gifts wisely – for the common good.
This is what can seem so obvious and what some people just can’t seem to get, what some can’t accept, and what most of us find hard to live up to. The church is a community of widely differing ideas and gifts – from the same God – all rooted in our desire to be faithful disciples of Jesus. Everyone of us has gifts and ideas to share. All are given for the common good – for the enhancement of community life that happens when God’s Spirit liberates blessed humans for mutual learning and care.
Yet some of us just don’t get it! As congregations seeking to work together, we need to be open to differences, so we become potentially wealthy in the Spirit. When we fail to recognize this – when we don’t get it – when we see difference as a threat or discourage another person’s point of view, then we invite a sense of poverty. We make ourselves poor and weak and pathetic through conformity and narrowness of being.
We are a community with widely differing gifts and different ideas about what is the best way into our shared future. The helpful attitude is to understand this as a source of richness, embracing God’s gifts in ourselves and in one another. Our health as congregations – our hoped-for thriving – is better together – better as we lean upon and celebrate diversity that serves the common good – this is the basis of our abundant strength and vitality.
Please join me in prayer…
Gracious God, we unite in prayer gladly even as we acknowledge our diversity. Help us to embrace your many and varied gifts – to use them as you desire. Help us to appreciate the different gifts of others, remembering that your Holy Spirit comes to each one of us. Teach us to always seek the common good – to pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. We pray thankfully and with confidence because your abundance blesses us through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen