The Many Are One: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
This morning’s sermon is about our calling to unity as members of the body of Christ.
“The human body has 206 bones, 639 muscles, and about 6 pounds of skin, along with ligaments, cartilage, veins, arteries, blood, fat, [organs, fibers, tissues]....
As the body of Christ—in our baptism—Christ’s mission found in Luke 4 is our mission. Christ’s purpose gives us purpose. Trusting that the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, together: We are to bring good news to the poor; heal the brokenhearted; announce release to captives; help the blind to recover sight; and aid the oppressed in becoming free; and by doing so live into the year of Jubilee, for the sake of land, creatures, humanity, and God.
Just as there are endless needs, the possibilities are limitless as to what can be done, and we can do them well until...division, then falling apart, then dis-integration…
It seems there has been some division in the early church community in corinth…dissenting among the members….a disturbance in the force….
What has led to the divisions?
Commerce Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe, January 24, 2016
This morning’s sermon is about our calling to unity as members of the body of Christ.
“The human body has 206 bones, 639 muscles, and about 6 pounds of skin, along with ligaments, cartilage, veins, arteries, blood, fat, [organs, fibers, tissues]....
Every time we hear a sound; every time we take a step; every time we take a breath [or eat a bit of food], hundreds of different parts [and thousands of different cells] work together, so that we experience a single movement, [accomplish a common purpose]….”[1]
The body is a holy mystery…I still can’t get over the miracle of birth, the miracle of food converted into energy, or air converted into mostly oxygen, making a sound to sing.
Richard Rohr says, “The spiritual world is hidden and perfectly revealed in the physical world.”[3]
We know a lot more about the human body today than Paul did when he was writing 2000 years ago.
But he knew enough to know how powerful and mysterious an image the human body would be for the church.[2] Paul uses the example of the particular parts of the human bodies to describe how collectively we are the body of Christ as a Christian community. The body of Christ--united for the singular purpose to carry out the mission of Christ.
As the body of Christ—in our baptism—Christ’s mission found in Luke 4 is our mission. Christ’s purpose gives us purpose. Trusting that the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, together: We are to bring good news to the poor; heal the brokenhearted; announce release to captives; help the blind to recover sight; and aid the oppressed in becoming free; and by doing so live into the year of Jubilee, for the sake of land, creatures, humanity, and God.
Isn't it beautiful to consider what Christian community has accomplished in the past? Isn't it inspiring to think of what can be done in the future?
Just as there are endless needs, the possibilities are limitless as to what can be done, and we can do them well until...division, then falling apart, then dis-integration…
It seems there has been some division in the early church community in corinth…dissenting among the members….a disturbance in the force….
What has led to the divisions?
Let’s see
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