Westminster Presbyterian Church

September 28, 2008

How diverse those Corinthians were! Some were rich, but most were poor. Some were brilliant, most pretty much average. Some had grown up in the church; some were new in the faith. Some prayed aloud with excited expression, even in tongues; others were more prone to keep to themselves. Some followed the letter of the law in their morality. Others skipped a few letters. Some looked to preacher 1 for guidance, others preacher 2, and still others preacher 3. Some women more veils, others none. How diverse they were!

How diverse we are! Some of us gravitate toward contemporary worship, others toward a more traditional liturgy. Some wear coat and tie, others khakis and a golf shirt. Some shout out “McCain and Palin”—or “Palin and McCain!” Others claim the title, “Obamacrats.” Some drive to church in Lexuses, others in cars not so nice. Some listen to Boortz and Hannity, others NPR, and still others Project 96-1. Some go to Brookwood. Others go to Grayson, and still some to South. Some cling to every letter of Scripture. Others don’t pay the Bible much mind at all.

How diverse they were! How diverse we are! Doctrine divided the people in Corinth—and at Westminster. Worship divided people in Corinth—and at Westminster. Politics divided people in Corinth—and at Westminster. Money divided people in Corinth—and at Westminster. How diverse they were! How diverse we are!

The question naturally arises: how do we deal with such diversity? More precisely, can there be unity in the midst of such diversity? Paul answers this question with a resounding YES. In his own clever, insightful way, Paul says that unity in the midst of diversity is a God thing. Unity doesn’t deny or erase diversity—we’re all different, and that’s a good thing. Diversity is to be a source not of strife, but of vitality and strength and creativity. Unity in the midst of diversity is, plain and simple, a gift from God.

To illustrate such a point, Paul gives us a wonderful lesson in human anatomy. He compares members of the church of Jesus Christ to parts of the human body. In doing so, he clearly explains two complementary truths the Corinthians had failed to understand. First, any part of the body—such as an eye or a foot—makes a valuable contribution to the whole body. Every part, all the way down to the pinkie toe. Whenever a single part functions improperly, the entire body suffers. When I stub my toe, I don’t say, “My toe hurts.” I say, “I hurt.” Our bodies are about interdependence. No one part is better than the other. Second, Paul continues, no member can survive if isolated from the rest. An eye is a marvelous thing when connected to the eye socket. But extract that eye from the socket and there are problems. Alone, an eye is pretty useless. All parts must work together to form a single, unified body.

That’s a beautiful illustration. I clearly remember 9^th grade Biology class and learning about the human body. I recall the wonder of how everything works beautifully together to create a functioning living organism: a nervous system, a reproductive system, a digestive system, a circulatory system, heart, lungs, liver, gall bladder, spleen, whatever it does, but everything working together for the good of the whole. Everything is held together by a skeletal system and wrapped up by muscle and skin, which together makes up the human body. In my mind, one of the most convincing arguments for the reality of God is the human body. This couldn’t have just happened by chance. This is the work of a master Creator.

Such is the church, the work of a master Creator. As our passage begins, no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. It is by the Spirit that we come to faith. It is by the Spirit that we grow in the faith. It is also by the Spirit, Paul says, that each of us is given certain gifts. It’s a wonderful “varieties of gifts…varieties of services…varieties of activities.” It’s a smorgasbord. It’s a potluck. It’s a meal more wonderful that the Sunday afternoon buffet at the Golden Corral. We all have gifts. And it is the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God, who activates them in everyone. It’s like a well-oiled machine, but one built by God, where everyone does his/her part as the body of Christ.

Just look around. Witness what is going on this very hour. Our choir can hang with the best of them, as each of you brings your gift of song. Out there, our ushers and greeters bring a marvelous gift of hospitality making folks feel welcomed as the come into this place. These pews are filled with wonderful members who are gifted at teaching; many of you just taught a lesson in Sunday School that really opened up the Scriptures and helped the rest of us apply it to real life. Some of you have been working hard as an elder of the month getting this place ready. You Stephen ministers are our prayer warriors, who so gracefully lift us up in prayer when we are in need. I could go on. It’s a beautiful thing see the body of Christ at work—different tasks, different functions, but all working to declare that Jesus is Lord.

And it’s not just how we function here at church. It’s not just the church gathered. It is also the church scattered. It’s how we live out our Christian walk in our daily lives. You are the body of Christ at church, yes, but you are also the body of Christ at school, at work, in the neighborhood, in your home. After all, Jesus Christ is no longer in this world in the body. Therefore, if God wants a task done, God recruits from among God’s people. If God wants a child taught, He has to find a teacher to teach. If God wants a sick person healed, He needs to find a doctor to heal that person. If God wants His story told, He needs to find someone to tell it. We have to be the body of Christ. We are to be hands to do His work, a voice to tell His story, feet to run His errands. We are the body of Christ.

How tragic it is we don’t realize that. How tragic it is when we look at others and say, “My gifts are better than your gifts,” which apparently was a big problem among the Corinthians. How tragic it is when we say, “My gifts aren’t as good as yours,” and we fail to truly utilize the talents that God has given us. Usually it begins early in life. We compare ourselves to others, and often we feel like we don’t measure up and we want to give up. In my favorite movie of 1995, Mr. Holland’s Opus, music teacher Glen Holland, as played by Richard Dreyfuss, is tutoring Miss Lang in the clarinet, something at this point Miss Lang is passionate about, but frankly not very good. Let’s see what happens.

(Show clip beginning at 19:45—Miss Lang is practicing her clarinet, and Mr. Holland tells her to go home. She starts crying because she isn’t any good. Mr. Holland encourages her, and Miss Lang reveals that everyone in her family has an amazing talent except her. She just wants to be good at something. She walks out in tears.)

Perhaps the most challenging and exciting task that we have as children of God is to find our place in the body of Christ. Personally as I look back upon my life, I truly marvel at how, I feel, God has brought to me to this place. When I graduated from college, I had absolutely no inkling that one day I would become a minister. I figured I would either be the next Howard Cosell, a thriving sports broadcaster, or perhaps I would be an agent extraordinaire like Jerry McGuire. How cocky is that! Through many tosses and turns, ups and down, successes and failures, God has given me a role in the body of Christ.

God has given you a role too, no better and no worse than mine. Next Sunday, on our Missions Emphasis Sunday, you will have an opportunity to consider the gifts that God has given you. You will be asked, “How do you feel that God is calling you into ministry?” You will be challenged to use your gifts perhaps in a new way either inside the church or outside the church. It will be a chance to really declare your place in the body of Christ. So let us all get excited.

Meanwhile, just look around you now. Diversity runs throughout this place, and for that we can all be grateful. It is God’s love for us and in response our love for God that holds us together and makes us work for the common good. We are the body of Christ.

You know what else we are? Excuse me for mixing metaphors here, but I can’t help it. We are a symphony orchestra. Each of us has an instrument to play. It’s not just a bunch of oboes playing. Can you imagine that? What an eclectic sound that would be. That would be a like a church where everyone is a preacher—Lord, help us all! But there is a diversity of instruments. We warm up with a beep-beep here, a squeak-squeak there, a toot-toot, a boom-boom. It doesn’t sound all that appetizing. But then suddenly, the lights are dimmed (dim lights from 1 to 7), there is silence, the maestro raises his baton, and suddenly there is beautiful, harmonious music. That, my friends, is the church at work!

Speaking of symphonies, Mr. Holland’s Opus has a wonderful ending. We move ahead 30 years from that first clip to a surprise retirement celebration of the teaching career of Mr. Holland. The MC is none other than Miss Lang, who is now rather skilled with her clarinet. She has also become the state’s governor. Let’s see what happens next.

(Show clip at movie’s end beginning with Mr. Holland, wife, and son walking into auditorium—Miss Lang walks to the podium and pays tribute to Mr. Holland declaring how each person there is better because of Mr. Holland. “We are your symphony, Mr. Holland,” she says, “We are the melodies and the notes of your life. We are the music of your life.” She then invites Mr. Holland up to take the baton to direct the first playing of the opus that he had written, but never had published. The curtains open, and it is a cross-generational symphony comprised of students he has taught throughout the years. Overcome with emotion, Mr. Holland begins to direct. Midway through the song, lower the clip’s volume and continue…)

As people of God, it’s a beautiful thing when we discover that we are the body of Christ—that we are God’s symphony. We are the melodies and the notes of Jesus’ opus. We are the music of our heavenly Creator. We are diverse. We are one. Thanks be to God.