We Are One Body!

January 27, 2019

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we came out of the womb with instructions on how to live our lives and what we needed to do to fulfill the calling that God has given us? Some of you may find the possibility of that a relief, while others may find it a burden.

In our baptism, we receive the Holy Spirit, yet our individual gifts still elude us. This is all a part of the journey in which we are led. We are however, shaped by the experiences that come are way, even if they are not quite what God had intended. I did not enter seminary until I was in my thirties, however, as I looked back on my previous career in the retail industry, there were many things that I had learned that could benefit me in my calling as a pastor. I also learned the hard way that I could not do everything. I had to learn how to delegate and learn when to step back as I sensed the need to take a deep breath. I would like to say that I have mastered these skills, but it would be a lie. It is part of that constant learning process.

When we are born and start going to school, we start getting ideas of things that we want to do when we grow up. Some kids want to be firemen, chefs, or astronauts. For me, I wanted to be a lawyer! That would eventually evolve to doing something in the business world, which is where I would first end up after graduation from college. It took a while for me to hear God calling me to ministry. Out of the many career routes one could choose to take, we need all of them to function as a society. Being created in the image of God, we are each called to use our gifts and talents to make a whole relationship with one another.

We get into trouble when we think that we can do everything on our own. We either find out that we just simply do not have enough time to do everything required, or we rush through it where you can tell that it was done without care and respect. And let’s admit it, we do not know everything, even if we want to believe we do. There is also the possibility of pushing ourselves to extremes which can lead to burn out and sickness.

We need various parts to function. As Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, “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? …. If all were a single member, where would the body be?” When we fail to communicate with other parts of the body, we can end up with utter chaos.

We witness it played out time and time again in government as different parties fail to listen to one another and decide that their way is the best way without allowing the opportunity for discussion and compromise. Instead we look at others and say, “I have no need of you.”

Paul addresses the Corinthians with these same words when he sees that there are disagreements occurring within their community among those that are following Christ and those that are not too sure yet. His call is for them to work together as one body. They are going to have a hard time living into the body of Christ if they choose not to get along. Their arguing and disregard for those that think differently breaks the body apart.

While we are individual members of the body of Christ, God wants us to live out our calling with one another. We are called to share our gifts and talents so that we can move forward to be God’s hands and feet in the world. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul calls them to strive for the greater gifts. Those gifts that God has given them individually. Those gifts, when combined with the other gifts of the people in the community, will lead them closer to living the kingdom of God in this world. As they do so, Paul will continue to walk with them and show them even greater ways through Jesus Christ.

As we come together this morning as a community of Christ, we each bring our own unique gifts that have been given to us by a God that loves us dearly and wants us to use them to learn to work together and live into relationship. We are reminded of the various gifts of the congregation by looking at our annual report and seeing the varied ministries that take place during the year at Trinity. As we use these gifts to share the love of God with our neighbors, we do our best to be a living example of Jesus Christ in the world. Some of us may still be trying to find the gift that meshes into the fabric of our community, and that is ok. We are not handed a description of what our gifts are on a note card. We are encouraged to enter into prayer to discern those gifts and together we will work to find the most excellent way, as Paul would say.

Working together as one community is how Trinity Lutheran can live out our mission to celebrate God’s Word together and open our arms in service to all. As we live out God’s Word, and open our arms, we share God’s love with all.

Let us pray. Loving God, we give thanks for the varied gifts of this community. We pray that your presence is felt in the continual discernment of those gifts. May we use them to be your hands and feet in this world. Amen.