Paul V - "Body Language"

I Corinthians 12:12-27

The church is not properly as much an organization as an organism, not as much an institution as a body. In our last church newsletter, I asked whether you “go to Church” or “are the Church” wherever you are. How often we, in error, separate ourselves from the church – as something to which we go or do not go, something we like or don’t like, something that is relevant or irrelevant. In our hymnal, the song cries out boldly,

“I am the Church. You are the Church. We are the Church together; all who follow Jesus, all around the world. Yes, we’re the church together.”

Another song by the same authors takes a children’s rhyme and turns it on its head.

“I can be a Christian by myself, leave my Holy Bible on the shelf, sing a hymn and pray a bit, God will do the rest of it. I’m the Church and I’m the steeple. Shut the door and I’m the people. I can be a Christian by myself (Avery and Marsh)."

God uses our backgrounds and our gifts in relationship together to make a huge impact on our world. But the original sin of groups and churches is that we try to make each other into duplicates of ourselves. Any good leader knows that the worst thing she or he can do is to surround herself or himself with people of the same styles and gifts. God is not an insecure leader and so has gifted his body in great diversity and complementary relationships. But the result of such diversity is difference of function, opinion and style, i.e. conflict! Another result is constant comparison and competition for status and significance, i.e. conflict! Conflict can be healthy, if it is constructive and happens in an atmosphere of humility.

We really are incomplete without each other and every one of has a role in the kingdom that is worthwhile and significant. I really can’t be fully me without you. That’s that old thing of interdependency we talked about in class.