Removing Obstacles
Sermon
Sermons On The Second Reading
Series I, Cycle A
Our church has an important mission. Our church was called into existence to witness to the good news of God's love that was shown to us in Jesus Christ. Our church exists to share God's love, to bring people into a fellowship in which God's love is shared, and to help people grow into followers of Jesus. There are people, perhaps many people, within the reach of our church who are hungry for the love of God that we were given to share. Our church has been commissioned to teach the way of love that is the hope of the world. Most of the people of the world probably don't yet realize how urgently they need to learn the way of love, but the need is great and urgent. Our church has a very important mission. Our church's mission is just about the most important thing going on in our community and in our world today.
That being the case, doesn't it make sense that we should organize the whole life of our church around the accomplishment of that mission? And, doesn't it make sense that we should be careful not to let anything go on in our church that would hinder the accomplishment of that mission?
Can you think of any things that could go on in our church that would appear to contradict the good news of God's love that we have been called to share? Can you think of any things that could go on in our church that would turn people away rather than drawing them into the love and the new life that we are supposed to offer them? Can you think of any things that are going on that may be turning people away?
Paul wrote his letters to the Corinthians, in part, because he had heard that some things were going on in that church that contradicted the gospel and that were a hindrance to the mission of that church. In his letters, he tried to bring those things to the surface and to set them in the context of the Christian faith so that the Corinthian Christians would know what to do about them. The things that Paul said to the Corinthians can help us to get things into proper perspective, too.
Paul stated the problem. He had heard that there are divisions in the church and that the people are quarreling with one another rather than being united in the same mind and purpose.
At first glance, it appeared that something like denominations were emerging as the churches meeting in different houses in the city chose to give their allegiance to one or another of the leaders of the church with whom they were familiar. Some were still dedicated to Paul, the one who had organized their church and brought many into the Christian faith. Others were attracted to another leader who had come after Paul, an attractive young man named Apollos who had received an excellent education in Alexandria, one of the greatest centers of learning in the ancient world. He would have been expert in relating the Christian faith to popular Greek philosophies. Still others had been in contact with Cephas, Peter, the one who had been the leader of the followers of Jesus and who would represent a more conservative kind of Jewish Christianity. And there seemed to have been some who took a superior attitude and said, "We belong to Christ," just to get above the other divisions.
These could indeed have been divisions along the lines of significant theological differences - or they could have been divisions based on the personal attractiveness of the several leaders. But, in fact, it eventually became apparent that neither of these was really what was dividing the church. Differences don't have to cause divisions. Differences of opinion can be lived with in a community of loving people who are committed to one common purpose. Paul suspected that something else was going on in Corinth.
There were lots of other differences in the church in Corinth. There were people of different races and national origins, people of different religious origins, people of different socio--economic classes, and people of different dispositions. All of these caused differences with regard to certain aspects of the Christian faith. Some seem to have been incorporating some kind of Greek "wisdom" philosophy into their faith and claiming to be superior to others. Some were interpreting Paul's teachings about grace as an excuse for moral laxity. Some were using their Christian freedom in ways that were causing problems for other Christians. Some who had received the gift of speaking in tongues were claiming to be superior to other Christians. All of these were significant issues - but none of them was the real problem that was dividing the church. They were just the excuses for acting out the real conflicts.
What was actually going on in Corinth? Surprisingly, it was something very similar to something that goes on in our society.
You see, Corinth was a major center of commerce, a business--oriented city. And it was a new city whose life was not built around any old aristocratic structures. Some people had become very rich and some people were very poor and there were some people on each step of the ladder in between. And, it was a place where upward mobility was possible. People could climb the social and economic ladder. Many people were preoccupied with doing just that - and many others were trying to think of reasons for claiming to be superior to others in some other ways. There was competition for status and honor. There was lots of "networking" to form advantageous relationships. That was what was really going on in many of the conflicts that were dividing the church in Corinth.
Does any of that sound familiar to you? There is a lot of that going on in our culture, too, isn't there? If a person's real religion is what is shaping his or her life, then there are many whose real religion has to do with their commitment to getting ahead, even though they profess the Christian faith. It is hard to keep the things that are really important to us from influencing the shape of our religion.
This competitive jockeying for positions of honor and stature had evidently invaded the church in Corinth. Petty jealousies, snobbishness, and quarreling were being played out in the conflicts over real issues. Divisions were appearing within the church. People outside of the church could probably see what was happening better than those who were inside the church. The quarreling made the church unattractive to some who needed to be attracted to the Christian faith. And the snobbishness of some probably made others feel unwelcome.
Does any of that ever happen in our church?
It would be easy for us to start pointing fingers at one another. That would be exactly the opposite of the results this sermon and Paul's letter to the Corinthians hope to accomplish. Instead, let us each look within and see if there are any attitudes or ways of action in our lives that might contribute to conditions that could hinder the mission of our church.
Are there any personal conflicts between us and any other members of the church that we have not yet resolved? Are there any hurt feelings that we insist upon remembering and allowing to create againstness, any personality conflicts that we have not been able to overcome with simple acceptance, any old arguments that should have long since been laid to rest? Are we allowing any things like that to get in the way of the friendship that should be the quality of life in the church? Are we allowing things like this to influence our dealing with the real issues that must be decided in the church rather than thinking them through in terms of the really relevant factors?
If we are old members of the church, or major contributors, or prominent citizens, or people with some other kind of status in the church, do we expect to be honored? Do we expect a little more attention to be paid to our opinion than to others when decisions are being made? Do we think the church ought to organize its life to meet our needs more than to meet the needs of new people who should be attracted into the church? Do we insist on sitting in our favorite pew and make anyone else who sits there feel like a trespasser?
On the other hand, if you are not a part of what you perceive to be the "in" group in the church, do you resent those who are? Do you let that resentment get in the way of your participation in the life and fellowship of the church?
Are there some members of the church you wish would go away? Are there some kinds of people you hope will not come to your church?
These attitudes can be very subtle. They can work in our lives without our ever recognizing them for what they are. But they can play havoc with the ability of the church to witness to the love of God and to bring people into a loving relationship with God and God's people.
Paul said some things to the Corinthians that can help us to get all of those attitudes into perspective.
First, he reminded the Corinthians - and us - that we all have our status in the presence of God as a gift of grace. None of us can claim any standing in the presence of God because of who we are in the community or because of what we have done or because of our goodness or our wealth or our education or even because of our faithfulness. We are saved by grace. Paul said, "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise ... so that no one might boast in the presence of God" (1 Corinthians 1:27, 29). Paul did not say that to cut us down. After all, we have been freely given the role and status of beloved children of God. That is far better than anything we could achieve or claim for ourselves. We should find great joy and self--confidence in that. But, since the best thing that we have is something that has been freely given to us and to others, none of us ought to feel superior to others. We are all parts of one family.
Second, Paul reminds us that the real sign of Christian maturity is not some kind of intellectual or spiritual or cultural sophistication, but the ability to love. The most beautiful chapter in this letter is chapter 13, the chapter that starts with the words, "If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Later in the chapter, Paul gives one of the best descriptions of love that can be found anywhere. "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4--7). Doesn't Paul have a beautiful way of stepping on our toes? Paul draws his picture of love and then says, "That is what is supposed to be going on in the church."
In another place, when an issue came up about the Christian's freedom to do certain things, Paul said, "Yes, we ought to claim our freedom. But we ought to use our freedom in loving concern for others and be careful not to do anything that will be a hindrance to others" (1 Corinthians 9 and 10).
Again and again, Paul reminds the people that they should put their mission first and be of one mind and purpose.
Paul provides us with three beautiful images of what it means to work together in the service of the Lord. He insisted that he and Apollos, far from being competitors, were actually partners. He uses one image drawn from farming. He said, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6). A little later, he draws an illustration from building, saying, "... like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it" (1 Corinthians 3:10). But perhaps the most beautiful image of all comes when he compares the members of the church with different spiritual gifts to different members of one human body. He says, "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Corinthians 12:27).
Paul makes it very clear that he believes that diversity will strengthen the church if people will love each other and live in a shared commitment to one purpose.
Some time ago, St. Pius X Catholic Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, placed an advertisement in the Tulsa World inviting the lapsed to return to church. The ad especially welcomes "singles, twice divorced, under thirty, gay, filthy rich, black and proud, poor as dirt, can't sing, no habla Ingles, married with pets, older than God, more Catholic than the pope, workaholics, bad spellers, screaming babies, three times divorced, passive--aggressive, obsessive--compulsive, tourists, seekers, doubters, bleeding hearts ... oh, and you" (Christian Century, July 2--10, 2002, p. 8). Someone asked, "If they all came, could they all get along?" Paul would answer, "If they have the love of God in their hearts, they can."
What will people find when they come to visit our church? Will they find us sharing love with one another and working together in the service of one purpose? Will they find us eager to welcome them into the fellowship and to make a place for them? Let us pray that they will.
That being the case, doesn't it make sense that we should organize the whole life of our church around the accomplishment of that mission? And, doesn't it make sense that we should be careful not to let anything go on in our church that would hinder the accomplishment of that mission?
Can you think of any things that could go on in our church that would appear to contradict the good news of God's love that we have been called to share? Can you think of any things that could go on in our church that would turn people away rather than drawing them into the love and the new life that we are supposed to offer them? Can you think of any things that are going on that may be turning people away?
Paul wrote his letters to the Corinthians, in part, because he had heard that some things were going on in that church that contradicted the gospel and that were a hindrance to the mission of that church. In his letters, he tried to bring those things to the surface and to set them in the context of the Christian faith so that the Corinthian Christians would know what to do about them. The things that Paul said to the Corinthians can help us to get things into proper perspective, too.
Paul stated the problem. He had heard that there are divisions in the church and that the people are quarreling with one another rather than being united in the same mind and purpose.
At first glance, it appeared that something like denominations were emerging as the churches meeting in different houses in the city chose to give their allegiance to one or another of the leaders of the church with whom they were familiar. Some were still dedicated to Paul, the one who had organized their church and brought many into the Christian faith. Others were attracted to another leader who had come after Paul, an attractive young man named Apollos who had received an excellent education in Alexandria, one of the greatest centers of learning in the ancient world. He would have been expert in relating the Christian faith to popular Greek philosophies. Still others had been in contact with Cephas, Peter, the one who had been the leader of the followers of Jesus and who would represent a more conservative kind of Jewish Christianity. And there seemed to have been some who took a superior attitude and said, "We belong to Christ," just to get above the other divisions.
These could indeed have been divisions along the lines of significant theological differences - or they could have been divisions based on the personal attractiveness of the several leaders. But, in fact, it eventually became apparent that neither of these was really what was dividing the church. Differences don't have to cause divisions. Differences of opinion can be lived with in a community of loving people who are committed to one common purpose. Paul suspected that something else was going on in Corinth.
There were lots of other differences in the church in Corinth. There were people of different races and national origins, people of different religious origins, people of different socio--economic classes, and people of different dispositions. All of these caused differences with regard to certain aspects of the Christian faith. Some seem to have been incorporating some kind of Greek "wisdom" philosophy into their faith and claiming to be superior to others. Some were interpreting Paul's teachings about grace as an excuse for moral laxity. Some were using their Christian freedom in ways that were causing problems for other Christians. Some who had received the gift of speaking in tongues were claiming to be superior to other Christians. All of these were significant issues - but none of them was the real problem that was dividing the church. They were just the excuses for acting out the real conflicts.
What was actually going on in Corinth? Surprisingly, it was something very similar to something that goes on in our society.
You see, Corinth was a major center of commerce, a business--oriented city. And it was a new city whose life was not built around any old aristocratic structures. Some people had become very rich and some people were very poor and there were some people on each step of the ladder in between. And, it was a place where upward mobility was possible. People could climb the social and economic ladder. Many people were preoccupied with doing just that - and many others were trying to think of reasons for claiming to be superior to others in some other ways. There was competition for status and honor. There was lots of "networking" to form advantageous relationships. That was what was really going on in many of the conflicts that were dividing the church in Corinth.
Does any of that sound familiar to you? There is a lot of that going on in our culture, too, isn't there? If a person's real religion is what is shaping his or her life, then there are many whose real religion has to do with their commitment to getting ahead, even though they profess the Christian faith. It is hard to keep the things that are really important to us from influencing the shape of our religion.
This competitive jockeying for positions of honor and stature had evidently invaded the church in Corinth. Petty jealousies, snobbishness, and quarreling were being played out in the conflicts over real issues. Divisions were appearing within the church. People outside of the church could probably see what was happening better than those who were inside the church. The quarreling made the church unattractive to some who needed to be attracted to the Christian faith. And the snobbishness of some probably made others feel unwelcome.
Does any of that ever happen in our church?
It would be easy for us to start pointing fingers at one another. That would be exactly the opposite of the results this sermon and Paul's letter to the Corinthians hope to accomplish. Instead, let us each look within and see if there are any attitudes or ways of action in our lives that might contribute to conditions that could hinder the mission of our church.
Are there any personal conflicts between us and any other members of the church that we have not yet resolved? Are there any hurt feelings that we insist upon remembering and allowing to create againstness, any personality conflicts that we have not been able to overcome with simple acceptance, any old arguments that should have long since been laid to rest? Are we allowing any things like that to get in the way of the friendship that should be the quality of life in the church? Are we allowing things like this to influence our dealing with the real issues that must be decided in the church rather than thinking them through in terms of the really relevant factors?
If we are old members of the church, or major contributors, or prominent citizens, or people with some other kind of status in the church, do we expect to be honored? Do we expect a little more attention to be paid to our opinion than to others when decisions are being made? Do we think the church ought to organize its life to meet our needs more than to meet the needs of new people who should be attracted into the church? Do we insist on sitting in our favorite pew and make anyone else who sits there feel like a trespasser?
On the other hand, if you are not a part of what you perceive to be the "in" group in the church, do you resent those who are? Do you let that resentment get in the way of your participation in the life and fellowship of the church?
Are there some members of the church you wish would go away? Are there some kinds of people you hope will not come to your church?
These attitudes can be very subtle. They can work in our lives without our ever recognizing them for what they are. But they can play havoc with the ability of the church to witness to the love of God and to bring people into a loving relationship with God and God's people.
Paul said some things to the Corinthians that can help us to get all of those attitudes into perspective.
First, he reminded the Corinthians - and us - that we all have our status in the presence of God as a gift of grace. None of us can claim any standing in the presence of God because of who we are in the community or because of what we have done or because of our goodness or our wealth or our education or even because of our faithfulness. We are saved by grace. Paul said, "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise ... so that no one might boast in the presence of God" (1 Corinthians 1:27, 29). Paul did not say that to cut us down. After all, we have been freely given the role and status of beloved children of God. That is far better than anything we could achieve or claim for ourselves. We should find great joy and self--confidence in that. But, since the best thing that we have is something that has been freely given to us and to others, none of us ought to feel superior to others. We are all parts of one family.
Second, Paul reminds us that the real sign of Christian maturity is not some kind of intellectual or spiritual or cultural sophistication, but the ability to love. The most beautiful chapter in this letter is chapter 13, the chapter that starts with the words, "If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Later in the chapter, Paul gives one of the best descriptions of love that can be found anywhere. "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4--7). Doesn't Paul have a beautiful way of stepping on our toes? Paul draws his picture of love and then says, "That is what is supposed to be going on in the church."
In another place, when an issue came up about the Christian's freedom to do certain things, Paul said, "Yes, we ought to claim our freedom. But we ought to use our freedom in loving concern for others and be careful not to do anything that will be a hindrance to others" (1 Corinthians 9 and 10).
Again and again, Paul reminds the people that they should put their mission first and be of one mind and purpose.
Paul provides us with three beautiful images of what it means to work together in the service of the Lord. He insisted that he and Apollos, far from being competitors, were actually partners. He uses one image drawn from farming. He said, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6). A little later, he draws an illustration from building, saying, "... like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it" (1 Corinthians 3:10). But perhaps the most beautiful image of all comes when he compares the members of the church with different spiritual gifts to different members of one human body. He says, "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Corinthians 12:27).
Paul makes it very clear that he believes that diversity will strengthen the church if people will love each other and live in a shared commitment to one purpose.
Some time ago, St. Pius X Catholic Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, placed an advertisement in the Tulsa World inviting the lapsed to return to church. The ad especially welcomes "singles, twice divorced, under thirty, gay, filthy rich, black and proud, poor as dirt, can't sing, no habla Ingles, married with pets, older than God, more Catholic than the pope, workaholics, bad spellers, screaming babies, three times divorced, passive--aggressive, obsessive--compulsive, tourists, seekers, doubters, bleeding hearts ... oh, and you" (Christian Century, July 2--10, 2002, p. 8). Someone asked, "If they all came, could they all get along?" Paul would answer, "If they have the love of God in their hearts, they can."
What will people find when they come to visit our church? Will they find us sharing love with one another and working together in the service of one purpose? Will they find us eager to welcome them into the fellowship and to make a place for them? Let us pray that they will.
