January 23, 2005
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Are You? It was a year ago that the sermon urged us to start building up this church. On a cold and snowy day, we gathered around the communion table and prayed. In the year since, we have worked and worshiped, planned and prayed and as Dr. Edwards told us last week, we have dreamed. We find ourselves now still working, worshiping, planning and praying. Today we will make renewed commitments as we continue to build up our congregation. The lesson from I Corinthians seems especially appropriate today; it speaks to a church finding its way in a difficult time. And I want to invite you as we find our way through a financial crisis, to be a participant in the sermon today in a way that may be different than you have participated before. Later, you will hear parts of the lesson three times and you will be asked to answer a question and talk to each other as we go along. Paul wrote to a church divided. We know our share of divisions too. Fundamentalist Christians and mainline-mainstream, moderate liberal Protestant Christians; First world and third world, wealthy nations in the northern and western hemisphere, poorer nations in the eastern and southern hemisphere. There are people working and doing just fine in today’s economy, there are people working and struggling in the same economy. There is much, both important and trivial, to divide us. We do not always agree on how to vote, which teams to cheer or which to boo. We do not listen to the same music or watch the same TV shows. There is division even in some congregations where a battle is being waged; it is called the worship wars and it has to do with the style of music, the formality of worship, and whether we believe as a colleague says, “victory in volume” or “salvation in silence”. “Now I appeal to you brothers and sisters by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind, and in the same purpose” (verse 10). In Corinth the source of division was the spilt loyalties of the people. They had begun to follow certain teachers and there had developed a spirit of partisanship which was hurting the church.When Paul got wind of it, he was disturbed enough to write the church about it. He didn’t write or scold them, or take sides. Instead he reminded them that whatever their divisions, there was a source of unity far greater than what divided them. “In the name of Christ”, he says, “get things together. Focus on what is important, let there be no division among you.” Paul is not asking that they agree 100% about everything; there will be room for conversation and differences of opinion. But he does want the church to be united in their faithfulness and loyalty to Jesus Christ. He wants their minds and their purpose to focus on serving the One who laid down his life for them. He wants them to be focused totally on what it means to belong to the church – to know who’s they are, to know to whom they belong, to be united in their obligation to Jesus. We can, even now develop and own, and work from a united purpose when we know who’s we are, that is when we know to whom we belong. Not to get to possessive, but we belong to our families, our friends, our social organizations, and the other responsibilities that are ours. We belong to the communities in which we live, and the places where we work and study. Most of here belong to a church, this church that proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ and that welcomes all people. Surely we can unite around the values we have named. We have said that we value spirituality – we want to grow closer to God. We have said we value love and justice – we want to treat people, and we want to be treated with deep respect, and we want the structures and institutions that guide our lives, including the church, to do right by all people. We have said we value relationships and friendships – we want to get to know each other well and learn to care and support each other as the chaos and calm of life touches us. Question #1: What does it mean to belong to a church united in its purpose? We have said about this church, that “as followers of Jesus Christ, who loves and cares for all creation, our purpose here at Broad Street Christian Church is to be a safe and welcoming place for all people seeking a spiritual home where their relationship with Christ can be nurtured and strengthened”. We believe that diversity, tolerance, acceptance, and caring in the name of Jesus Christ is a good thing. That is a purpose around which a church can build its ministries. Serious divisions will get in the way of our purpose unless we know in our spirits whose we are.. “What I mean is each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’ or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (12-13) Paul wanted the Corinthians to be united in Christ because he knows that a Christ centered church would be too busy doing ministry to get caught up in personalities. So he says, it is not about me, as gifted as I am. It is not about Apollos, as articulate has he is, and it’s not about Cephas, another name for Peter, as passionate as he was. And by the way, Paul includes, “I belong to Christ” in his list because there were people claiming their allegiance to Christ in a way that made it seem that no one else had a relationship with him. Let Christ be the one who unites all of the church. In our own days, it is time for us to let go of the notion that this is Faust’s church, or Laney’s or Remick’s or Schimmel’s or Bynum’s. We are called to be united in our understanding that we worship in Christ’s church. As important as Paul, Apollos, and Cephas are, it is God in Jesus Christ who is our focus. That is why Paul will write in a few chapters, “I planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the growth (I Corinthians 3.6). Our values, our purpose, our hopes, our ministries in this congregation are centered in Jesus. He is the source of our unity, it is he who sacrificed his life for us on the cross. It is Jesus who paid it all, who put himself out there where people are mistreated, out where the religious folk were unholy, but loved by him nevertheless, out where his body was tortured but his spirit never gave up on God. Question #2: What does it mean for us as a congregation to say that we belong to Christ? Because Paul knew that he belonged to Christ and because he reminds the church at Corinth then and he reminds us now that we do too, he makes a bold declaration. The cross – the source of death for so many including Jesus has been redeemed, it has been rescued from a symbol of shame into a sign of faithfulness and trust. “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing; but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (18). The saving message of the cross is a promise of resurrection. Of course, some things that die need to stay dead – negative attitudes, paralyzing fear, hopelessness, unhealthy competition, apathy, fear of belonging, cowardice. If these things have died in us, let them stay dead. If they still live in us, let’s not feed them, we do not want them growing strong. Let them weaken and fade away, God has much greater things in store for us. Question #3: What does it mean to live in the power of God? I saw some young people claim the greater things God has for them last Monday. At the opening day ceremonies for this year’s Young Heroes program, a part of City Year’s work, that includes James Cruz Sorensen and Tasha Walker the young heroes affirmed four values. They affirmed that they will be about cooperation, the ability to work with others toward the common good. They will be about compassion, caring and acting in ways that are helpful and merciful. They will be committed, they will approach the work and service they do with dedication, and they will act with courage, the ability to disregard fear, and to be brave. It sounds like what the church is called to do because it asks us to see beyond ourselves, to think of what we can do together, and to see that where we are is not where we have to stay. The new pledge cards we will present are a sign that we want to move in good ways and I believe that God will bless us as we move. When we know who’s we are, when we are sure to whom we belong, we can declare with Paul that we belong to Christ. We can declare with the Psalm we heard this morning that the Lord God is our light and our salvation (Psalm 27.1). God is the stronghold, the strength, the protection of our lives, we have no need to fear. We belong to God who has given us Jesus Christ, the light of the world (John 8.12, 9.5). We belong to God who has given us Jesus Christ who loves us and shapes us and transforms our lives. As we are transformed, I am reminded of the poem that says, “Twas battered and scarred, and the old auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste his time on the old violin, but he still held it up with a smile: ‘What am bidden, good folks’, he cried, ‘Who’ll start the bidding for me?’ ‘A dollar, a dollar’; then ‘Two!’ ‘Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it three? Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice; going for three…’ but no. From the room far back, a gray haired man came forward and picked up the bow; Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, He played a melody pure and sweet as a caroling angel sings. The music ceased, and the auctioneer with a voice that was quiet and low, said ‘What am I bidden for the old violin?’ And he held it up with the bow. ‘A thousand! And who’ll make it two? Two thousand! And who’ll make it three? Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going, and gone,’ said he. The people cheered, but some of them cried, ‘We do not quite understand what changed its worth.’ Swift came the reply: ‘The touch of the master’s hand.’ And many of us with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sun, Are auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like this old violin. A ‘mess of pottage’, a glass of wine; a game, and we travel on. He is ‘going’ once, ‘going’ twice; she’s ‘going’ and almost ‘gone.’ But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul and the change that is wrought by the touch of the Master’s hand” (“The Touch of the Master’s Hand” by Myra Brooks Welch). As we consider what it means to belong to a church united in purpose, what it means to belong to Christ, what it means to live in the power of God, know that we are touched and held and loved by one some called the Master, who says to us, “Come”, don’t be afraid, let me guide you, teach you, show you the way to God, die for you, be raised for you, live for you, prepare a place for you. While I do that, you follow me, learn from me, honor and love God for me, die to the worst in you, live for the best in you, care for others, and know that you and I belong to each other”. May Jesus Christ be praised. Thanks be to God. Amen. Dr.
LaTaunya M. Bynum |
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Broad
Street Christian Church
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