"We Are The Body Of Christ"
Reflections on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Sermon Preached by
Father James Hannah, Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
I grew up in a family denominationally divided. My mother was a Roman Catholic. My father was raised as a Scots Presbyterian, but when his family came to Canada they began attending the United Church. My father was not a churchgoer, but he was very supportive of my mother raising me and my sister as Catholics. There were times in the course of our life of faith that having two different denominations in the household created some difficulties: a sense of sadness because when we would reach those points of celebrating certain sacraments, special events in our faith life, my father was not able to participate in the fullest way, which we would have liked to be able to do as a family.
I am sure this is not a unique experience to my own family. I am sure there are lots of us who share similar stories. But you know, having different denominations is not all bad. The fact that we have different denominations is not a bad thing at all, because having different traditions allows us to worship in different ways. I think this is rather unique, but it also gives us an opportunity, as denominations, to explore our faith traditions and the meaning of the Scriptures and the life of Jesus and to express those in different ways, and I think that enriches all of us.
The problem is that we are still too divided. We don't share that kind of common ground that allows us to be One Communion. So, I think that as we begin this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, it is really important that we pray for our church leaders, that we pray for our theologians, that they will continue to listen to the voice of the Spirit and to find ways to bring us together so that we truly can be become One Communion.
Now, we have come a long way! Yes, we have come a long way from the days when we wouldn't darken the door of one another's churches. We have come a long way in my being here, in this church today, and at Perpetual Help, the minister from Calvin Presbyterian Church is sharing the sermon there. That certainly would not have happened a few years ago. And that is good news!
But, we still have a way to go. So, we need to pray that our leaders and our theologians can be creative in finding ways to help us to become more fully the Body of Christ that we are meant to be. I think that, as we begin this week of prayer, the Scripture reading that we heard today from First Corinthians about the “Body of Christ” is a wonderful way to begin. However, before we think about this image of the Body of Christ in terms in how it applies to us as different church denominations, we need to think about it for ourselves.
We need to think about it in a more personal way, because the reality is that, as a result of our baptism, we are all part of the “Body of Christ.” We belong to Christ, and through Christ, we are in union with God. Jesus became human so that we may become divine. Jesus became human so that, through him, we might enter into a relationship with God, and as members of the “Body of Christ,” we are looked on by God as precious. We are a gift and we have been gifted by the love of God as members of the “Body of Christ.”
We need to own that identity. We need to own that reality. This is because there are too many ways that, every day, you and I are told that there is something inadequate about us. You just need to look at the advertising we are being bombarded with. If you don't have the latest of everything, then there is something wrong with you. If you do not have the biggest house, the newest car or the biggest TV, then you are inadequate. You may only have a little wall, but you need the biggest TV!
Our sense of self-worth and our sense of dignity are undermined constantly, and so we need to realize who we are as the children of God. We need to realize what it means for us to be the “Body of Christ,” and as the “Body of Christ,” we live in God and He lives in us: We are one with him; we are precious to him. That is who we are! That is the foundation of our self-worth and our dignity!
Our Scripture passage today goes on and tells us that within the “Body of Christ” there are members who are strong and there are members who are weak. Now, we are all here today as the “Body of Christ,” the strong and the weak are here. There are those of us who, today, are in pretty good shape: Things are going along quite nicely in our lives, our health is good, things seem to be fine and our relationships are intact. However, there are others here today who are carrying heavy burdens. Maybe they have just lost someone close to them. Maybe they have received news that their health has deteriorated. Maybe they are experiencing the pains of growing old. Maybe there are problems in their family or problems at work. There are all kinds of ways that we find ourselves weighed down with the burdens of life that make us feel weak and fragile and vulnerable. And, we are all here, together, as one body.
When we are the strong ones in the body, there is a temptation for us to think that the gifts that we have and the reason things are going well in our lives is all about “Me.” It is my doing; it is my good effort; it is my success. Of course, that is not true. The reality is that everything we have is given. It is here today, and it is gone tomorrow. We need to recognize that giftedness, and to realize that the gifts that we have been given, no matter what they are, are not given for us personally. They are given to us to hold and to use for the good of the other. All the talents, the abilities, the strengths, the opportunities and the richness in our lives is to be at the disposal of the whole body: to share with those in need, to strengthen the weak, to build up those who are burdened by the pressures of life, to be there as a kind word, a supporting hand, a listening ear, to be there for the other.
When we are weak, when we are one of those who are weighed down with the burdens of life, we need to recognize that our weakness is also a gift. It is not something we tend to think about when we are feeling the pain of our weakness, but we need to think about it while we can, and remember that weakness is also a gift. It is a gift for those who are strong, because there is a temptation for us, as I say, to turn in on ourselves, to think it is all about “Me” and to lose sight of the presence of God in our lives and to forget that we are dependent on the mercy of God.
It is when I am confronted with someone who is in need, whatever that need might be, that I am suddenly called out of myself and called to go beyond that self, called to become more compassionate or sympathetic or caring, more responsive to the need of the other. It is that person who comes to us in need who invites us to use the gifts we have been given for the good of the other, and to recognize that what we have is given. When we find ourselves struggling with that weakness that comes to each of us, we need to know that it is a gift for the other. It is too easy for the strong to lose touch with God, and it is the weak who call us back, who help us to maintain our humanity, and help us to become more human by the way we care and by the way we reach out and give to one another.
I know, when I travelled over the last year with a woman who was dying of cancer, who was a person of faith and lived that faith over the course of her life, that she recognized how all that she had was given, but she saw it slipping away, and there was certainly a temptation for her to become depressed, angry, bitter, resentful that this was happening to her. But she didn't do that. She thanked everyone who came into her presence for being there, especially the nursing staff who looked after her. Everything they did - giving her a glass of water, asking if she was in pain - she thanked them. As I watched her do this and do it with great authenticity, I saw the nurses come alive and respond to her with deep care. Some of them, on their days off, would even phone in to see how she was. They became more caring people as they ministered to her. When she finally died, they were truly grieved. They thought that they had lost someone very special in their lives. She made them more human through her weakness. She made them better people by sharing her need with them and inviting them to share their strength and their gift with her.
The reality is that all of us have times of strength in our lives; and we all have times of weakness. We need to recognize that, as members of the “Body,” we need one another. We cannot travel through this life alone, and we are not meant to. As disciples of Jesus, as members of his “Body,” we are called to be one with and for one another; to be in communion for and with one another; to share the gifts we have with and for one another. That is what it means to be the “Body of Christ.”
We need to own that. We need to recognize that is who we are as a Communion and to live that in our relationships with one another. It is only then, only when we personally begin to take that kind of responsibility for our identity and to make that real in our relationships with one another, that we can ever hope that our churches will do the same, because churches are no different. All of our denominations have strengths and weaknesses. We need to pray that our churches will have the humility to acknowledge and to recognize and to own their weaknesses, and have the openness to draw on the strengths of the others so that we are all enriched.
As we celebrate this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, let us pray for all of our churches. We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. So, let us pray that we can truly take ownership of being the “Body of Christ” - one body, one faith in Jesus Christ - so that one day, our leaders can find a way to bring us into One Community. It is a long road ahead. Let's pray that we can take another step. Amen.
This is a verbatim transcription of the original sermon.