One in Our Essential Difference
Video Link: https://youtu.be/IID7J9qsPh0
Readings: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a, Psalm 29, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
When I was young I was accident-prone. I went in and out of the hospital for numerous reasons. I have mentioned a few of the stories on occasions, but at any given moment I might be wearing an eye patch, gauze on my ears, a cast on my arm, and many many . . . many bandages. I have experienced what it is like to go without a functioning body part. I have experienced what it is like to experience the world in a more limited way. And so I have always found this image of our being parts of a body united in one body that is Christ, simple yet profound and beautiful. If we compare any singular part of the body like the foot and the hand, we can see similarities but also great differences, yet, even more, we can see that they have essential and different roles in how they care and uphold the body as a whole. The same is true for each of us - we are all similar and greatly different and yet we each have an essential role in upholding one another in the body that is Christ.
First, I want to give our Unity a little more grounding. Unity, oneness, and codependency are all lovely ideas and things that are good to hold onto if we want to create peace, acceptance, welcoming, and an uplifting community but there is a bigger question: how are we United and one? And why is this an essential part of who we are as Christians? This is not some kind of fickle unity but is grounded and finds its source in our creation and Creator, in Christ.
We could start at the very beginning of creation to see our Unity. Remember the Holy Spirit who hovered over the chaos before creation, this same Holy Spirit in us ordered everything. He gathered the light to create the sun and stars, he gathered the waters to create land, he gave the fish, the birds, and the animals all their habitat at creation to become this codependent and beautiful world. All of these things are wonderfully different and yet they depend on one another. We are realizing more and more what it means for one simple animal or organism to disappear. How algae or a reef makes a big difference to the balance and beauty of the world. Even if we take something like bacteria. This is something that it would be easy to despise and yet, we know that there are essential bacterias in our stomach that are the only reason we can break down many foods. The Holy Spirit throughout creation has ordered and divided this world into special parts that are dependent on each other that uphold one another in some very wonderful and beautiful ways.
This is the Holy Spirit of Jesus Himself, which is given to us at our baptism - The Holy Spirit is given only because Jesus was baptised. Jesus Christ was baptized, not because He needed to be forgiven or washed, but because through His baptism He uplifted human baptism to become a Godly invitation for us to be United with and in Jesus. And so, as each of you was baptized into Jesus Christ, we become one. We become one as children of God, as brothers and sisters. We became one in Christ, as we each become essential parts to His body. Now, even though we are different and in many ways physically separate, especially now, we are still one connected through the singular and powerful Holy Spirit that we were given at our baptism.
The Holy Spirit is in us from our baptism trying to direct us towards one another and towards our purpose. The Holy Spirit is trying to show us our essential and beautiful difference that then serves and cares for the body as a whole. The story of Adam and Eve shows us how even from the beginning we were meant to be mutual godly helpers, tenders of the garden, made for community, united in God’s image in us and around us.
In our letter today when Paul recognizes Gentiles and Jews, slaves and free, he is recognizing that there might be things that make us very different: culture, race, nationality, socio-economic status, our jobs, our upbring and so much more, but those do not have to divide us, as we are connected by something, someone even stronger that is the creator and orderer of the world and faith in God’s work through us.
Now we get to what this unity means in our everyday life. Paul begins by personifying the parts of the body, as he shows us who we are. The foot might say, “since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body”, but in terms of the body we know this is absolutely ridiculous - the foot is as much a part of the body as the hand - there is no greater or lesser - it is just the reality that they are part of the body. Yet, we do this with ourselves all the time. We look at ourselves and say, oh because I am not as popular or because I don’t fit in or because I cannot pray like them, or cannot sing, or whatever else it might be, I am not a part of this community. Yet, as much as we do that it is just as ridiculous as what the foot says. We are part of this community through the Holy Spirit.
That outlook is not just a problem for us in this community though, it is also true in our workplaces, our schools, our families and though we may not be as united there as we can be in Christ, our special individual creation that places us in each of these settings has particularly destined us for a belonging and faithful uplifting in those places as well. If we are following God’s call, we fit in, even if it doesn’t always feel like it at first.
Paul goes on, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? . . . where would the body be?” We need each other. We actually need each other, way more than we ever realize. It is more than just a codependency, it is a kind of wholeness that is created from our mutual community, service, and trust in God. We have spent too much time in brokenness, separation and division to know to what extent we could experience wholeness from a greater unity with one another, but every moment we gather, we serve, every moment we lift up one another, it is just a vision of a greater fullness that God is point us towards.
Our difference is actually essential and every single person that we invite or welcome into this church, that we embrace in the body of Christ is an essential part of our community, of God’s plan, and of our mutual care. There is no greater or lesser, it is just so. Just because I am standing up here doesn’t mean that I was created to be more important to God or the body. You are meant to be just as much of an instrument of God’s grace, love and fellowship as anyone else in this church and world, but you are meant to be an instrument in a way that is special to you. Of course, there is a question to how much we are faithful to our difference, how we are faithful to God’s particular call on our life. We can all grow and will grow in this calling if we trust and try, but that does not change the fact that you can and are, just as important to God’s body and mission in this world.
(In many cases, our call can depend on where we are born, what is around us, and our capacity. I remember in Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis talking about faithfulness in situations. Some people might be born in hard situations with difficult parents, or communities around them and it might be that faithfulness and purpose is to end that cycle or get out or resist in a way that presents a greater image of God’s love, providence, and grace. For another who was born with loving parents, money to spare and so much more, faithfulness might challenge us to step out of the comfort and help others out of their difficulty, it might call us to give beyond what we want, it might call us to love even when others hurt us. We cannot truly compare our actions or who we are with one another, because we are very different, but we are all fundamentally important to the body of Christ and the mission of the church.) - No Time
So, we can never say to one another that we don’t need you. We might not always see how the hand serves the stomach, or how the nose serves the tongue, just like you may not always see how you are dependent on someone else, but that only means they are even more needed, that they are indispensable because the need is there. We don't know how we may already depend on them and we know that one day we may depend on them more than we ever have imagined. Paul points us here to the importance of lifting up those who do not receive honour, those that are not lifted up. Some people or positions get all the accolades, but we need to make sure to raise everyone. When we do this, we are all honoured, just as when one is hurt, we are all hurt.
Paul does want to clarify one point in this, however. In terms of our lives, there are essential differences that make us special in our service to one another and God, but there are also things that we need to grow into, like prayer, or knowledge or so much more. We are all meant to be these things: Apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, helpers, guides. These are all essential parts of our calling. The greatest gift we are told is apostleship. Apostles were defined as those who saw and followed Christ. We are all meant to see Christ. As the body of Christ, we can start by seeing Him in one another, but it is meant to grow so that His presence is always a very present and real power in our midst that works through us.
We are all one in Christ. United by His singular Spirit, in a singular act of loving sacrifice. Now we are called in our essential difference to work together and become a vision of that very beautiful and singular image that is Jesus Christ in our midst. We all will serve in our different ways, but together they become God’s powerful work. AMEN
