Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
January 24, 2010

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 (NRSV)
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Luke 4:14-21 (NRSV)
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Many Members
A group of tools once came together for a meeting with Mr. Hammer presiding. Before the meeting even began, Brother Screwdriver said, "Brother Hammer must go, because he is always making noise, always knocking." Hammer retorted, "Brother Screwdriver has to go, because you have to turn him around all the time to get him to do his job."
Someone else yelled, "Brother Plane has to go, because he always wants to just touch the surface. He never goes deep." Plane responded, "Well, Brother Sandpaper has to go then, because he is always rubbing people the wrong way." Sandpaper spoke up, "Then Brother Saw must go, because he is always cutting things up and leaving sawdust all over the place."
Just then the Carpenter from Nazareth came in and said, "I need all of you. We have a job to do. Put yourselves in my hands. Let me use you." Hammer said, "Here am I, Lord, use me." Screwdriver said, "Here am I, Lord, use me." Plane said, "Here am I, Lord, use me." Sandpaper said, "Here am I, Lord, use me." Saw said, "Here am I, Lord, use me."
Each gave himself to the Carpenter from Nazareth and together they built: a church in which the Gospel could be preached; a bridge of understanding so different groups could come together; a house so that someone would have a home: and a coffin in which to bury the devil. This is what happens when different tools work together and are used for the purpose for which they were made. This is what happens when the people of God embrace their diversity and work together in unity.
            In our Epistle reading this morning, Paul stresses the paradox of unity and diversity within the church body – the “one” and the “many” as it is experienced in Christ. Paul begins: “You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts – limbs, organs, cells – but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain – his Spirit – where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves – labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free – are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.” (12,13)
Our human nature tempts us to think of our differences as potential barriers and obstacles that need to be conquered. But that is not God’s plan. Diversity is not something Christians need to overcome. Rather, diversity is part of God’s gift to the church. We are to celebrate our individual uniqueness even as we embrace working together for God’s glory. We may be as different as snowflakes in a blizzard, but as followers of Jesus, we are one in Christ.
The human body is a great example of this. A body is healthy and efficient when each part is functioning properly. Yet there are times when a cell begins to grow and function out of sync with the other cells. It grows for its own purposes, no longer following the same blueprint as the other cells. This type of cell is called a mutagen and mutagens are the cells that create cancer in the body. Dr. Chad Sheron explains, “Just as mutagens cause cancer in the human body, people who behave like mutagens can have a cancerous effect on a team.”
We must accept the fact that we need each other. There can be no such thing as isolation in the Church. Far too often people in the Church become so engrossed in the bit of the work that they are doing and so convinced of its supreme importance that they neglect or even criticize others who have chosen to do other work. If the Church is to be a healthy body, we need the work of every member. It is then that we truly are the body of Christ.
Paul continues: “I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so? If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it. (14-18)
As Christians, we must respect each other. In the body there is no question of relative importance. If any limb or any organ ceases to function, the whole body is thrown out of gear. So it is with the Church. All service ranks the same with God. Whenever we begin to think about our own importance in the Christian Church, the possibility of doing Christian work disappears.
Paul goes on to say, “But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, "Get lost; I don't need you"? Or, Head telling Foot, "You're fired; your job has been phased out"? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way – the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it's a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair? The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.” (19-26)
            "What did you do?" inquired the boss of his secretary, who was grimacing with pain.
"Oh, I slammed the drawer on my finger and it hurts all the way up my arm."
"I am sorry," said the employer. "Let me see it."
"It will be all right in a little while," said the secretary. "And I've got so much typing to do, it will have to be all right."
The young lady found that the injured finger not only sent pain up her arm and gave her a headache, but after the pain had subsided, her typing was filled with errors and she gave up the task for the day. On leaving early she said to her boss, "It's funny how one little finger can upset your whole system."
If any one part of the body is in distress, all the others areas suffer in sympathy because they share the pain. So it is in the church. The Church must work as a whole. It is the person who cannot see beyond his or her own organization, the person who cannot see beyond his or her congregation, worse still, the person who cannot see beyond his or her own family circle, who has not grasped the real unity of the Church.
The Scriptures tell us that we are to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep, for we are affected by one another. A good family, a fine community, a great nation is dependent upon the people being concerned for the welfare of all.
Paul summarizes by saying: “You are Christ's body – that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything. You're familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his "body": apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, helpers, organizers, those who pray in tongues. But it's obvious by now, isn't it, that Christ's church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part?” (27-29)
Think about the actions and reaction to the devastation in Haiti. People rallied for people. Men and women left jobs and family and the comforts of home to work for the good of humankind. People dug deep, giving money and time and supplies so other can survive. We pray and listen and share the pain. One person’s unique abilities would be unable to do it all. But together, using talents and gifts of individuals, we are making a difference. We are united.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left us with an awesome responsibility – to be his hands that serve, his feet that guide, his mind that knows, his heart that loves and his voice that tells. We who believe in Him are to convince the world that Christ is alive; that He loves every person, and that He is available right here and now to meet us in our daily walk.
The world needs to see Christians working together in unity, allowing our diversity to be our strength. The world need to see us helping one another and caring for one another. The world needs to see that within the church every person has worth and that, together, we do make a difference for Jesus Christ.
Friends, let’s get involved and stay involved. Let’s make a difference and be an example. Together, let’s show the world how the body of Christ works!
Amen and amen.