1 Corinthians 12:12-27
“If Everyone were an Eye, How would we Hear?”
By: Ken Sauer, Pastor of East Ridge United Methodist Church, Chattanooga, TN
Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a toothache.
Nobody who has ever had that experience will need to be reminded just how all-consuming that kind of pain can be.
Now raise your hand if you’ve ever had 4 toothaches at once!
About 6 years ago, I was on a “Walk to Emmaus,” which is an awesome spiritual retreat I would recommend highly…
…when all four of my Wisdom Teeth hit me with sharp and throbbing pain.
It was time for them to come out—but what could I do?
I was at a 4 day retreat.
I was borrowing aspirin and Tylenol from everyone who had it, but that didn’t help.
I tried to concentrate on the people who were giving their talks, but of course, I couldn’t even begin to think about what people were saying.
The entire weekend was a bust; I couldn’t wait to have it over with!
When, finally, I sat in the orthopedic surgeon’s chair, with a gas mask over my face…
…it was as though my whole body, not just my wretched Wisdom Teeth, had given a great big sigh of relief!!!
This gives us just a little taste of what Paul meant when he wrote, “If one part [of the Body] suffers, every part suffers with it.”
Or think about it this way, our ears enjoy music, but when we are listening to a favorite song it seems as if our whole self is caught up in it.
Often times, I will see someone driving down the road, obviously, with the radio turned up.
They will be bopping along, singing in the car and so forth without a care in the world.
It’s pretty funny to watch.
Or think about the beach, our faces enjoy the warm sunshine, but it seems to penetrate through our entire body!!!
Paul’s eagerness is that we, the Church, should understand how every single member matters as much as every other!!!
In fact, the word “member,” or as the New International Version of the Bible puts it: “part” literally means “limb” or “organ.”
We are a single body, with many “limbs” and “organs.”
We belong to Christ, and thus we belong to one another!!!
“[we] are the body of Christ, and each one of [us] is a part of it.”
How awesome is that?
One of the great things about the Christian Church, is that whatever is happening in the world or whatever your place in the world…
…when you walk through the doors of the Church, every one is on equal footing!
The homeless man is just as vital and important as the millionaire!
The blue collar worker has just as much to contribute as the executive.
The bummed out teenager is just as needed as the happy Christian living on the mountaintop!!!
And when one of us is missing, we are truly missed!!!
We can’t function as we should without each vital organ and limb!
Never let one part say to another, “I don’t need you!”
Jesus proclaims that you and I are to be “the light of the world.”
That is a huge privilege and responsibility!!!
For the darkness which encases our neighborhoods, our places of employment, our schools is very thick and very dangerous.
How can persons know that God’s unconditional love exists if we are not functioning as we should?
How can teenagers, caught in the middle of low self-esteem and a very small world-view withstand the flaming arrows of peer pressure which seek to undo and destroy them?
They can’t if they are unable to “see” that there is another, a better Way!!!
We only love because God first loved us!
We only see because Christ has removed and continues to remove the scales covering our eyes!
And we only serve because Christ has first served us!!!
So, what of those who know nothing about this amazing New Way to live?
Are they to be forgotten and left behind?
No human life is disposable, though the world often treats people as such.
What makes each of us special; what makes each human life sacred is the fact that we are all created in the image of God, and Jesus died to save everyone!!!
Together, as a unit, as the Body of Christ in East Ridge we are to shine as a light in the dark brightly!!!
So bright, indeed, that persons will be drawn to us, or better yet to Jesus!!!
The Church is to be the place where, together, we learn how to be God’s genuinely human beings, worshipping God and serving God by reflecting God’s image into the world and to one another!!!
Is this how you have experienced it?
I was extremely blessed to have grown up being a “part” of the Church.
In congregations not unlike East Ridge I have early memories of love and acceptance.
And during those “awkward” teenage years, when it seemed that the whole world was against me, or when I felt out of place in just about every place—I was always treated as an important and valuable human being within the Church.
The Church is where my fondest and warmest memories lie.
The Church is the place where I could be myself: sins, faults and all…
…and still receive unconditional love and support!
Can any of you relate?
Perhaps, some of you weren’t raised as “part” of the Church, but you are here now!
What attracted you?
Was it the outstanding sermons?
Was it the extremely comfortable pews?
Or was it the Body itself—that is the members; those folks who have allowed the call of Christ to be lived out through their lives.
For myself, Sunday school teachers come to mind…
…those who sacrificed their time and effort to teach me about the meaning of a relationship with Christ…
…those who listened to my problems with a caring and gentle ear…
…those who greeted me with an enthusiastic smile, as if it really mattered to them that I was there, and they were honestly and genuinely happy to see me…
…those who loved me for just being “me” and didn’t appear to notice the often “dorky feeling kid.”
I also had some very special pastors and friends.
Right before I left for college, my pastor showed up at my door.
In his hands was a leather-bond pocket edition of the New Testament.
I took it with me, and it was the first Bible that I really, really did read!
I also snagged a tape of one of the worship services.
And when I would get to feeling home-sick I would put my ear phones on and listen to the service.
I could pick out particular voices, and I also got to know that one sermon word for word…
…which was, as it turns out, a little bit disconcerting, when back at home during the summer, my pastor preached that very same sermon, and I was able to anticipate every single thing he said before it was spoken.
The Church is unlike anything else in Creation.
When functioning properly, it is one of the few places where we learn about and experience unconditional love.
It is also the place where we find hope and meaning!
Recently I was watching an interesting movie entitled “Anvil.”
It’s about a 1980’s hair metal band that toured with the likes of Bon Jovi and the Scorpions.
Bon Jovi and the Scorpions went on to sell millions of albums, Anvil did not…
But they are still rocking, unhappily I should say, as 50 year old has-beens who never really were…
They are still looking for that one BIG break!
Its a unique tail; a real-life Spinal Tap, if you will.
But one thing stands out very well.
The guys who make up the rock group called Anvil, are a sad bunch.
They don’t seem to have much hope or meaning.
I remember, at the church I served in Virginia, there was a pretty unhappy teenage girl.
Let’s just call her Jennifer.
One day, another parishioner came up to me with concern in his eyes.
“I was asking Jennifer what she wanted to be when she grows up, and her response was, ‘I want to be famous so that people will like me.’”
My friend looked at me and said, “If only she could know that she doesn’t have to be famous for people to like her. She is loved just the way she is. Jesus loves her and that is all that truly matters.”
There is nothing more true!!!
Jesus loves us, and that is what makes life worth the living.
That is what puts a skip in our step and smile on our face.
That is our reason for living in this, often, difficult world!
People need to know this!
It is the treasure of life; it is the pearl of great value!
It is all that matters!
What part of the Body of Christ are you?
What organ are you?
What limb are you?
Are you a functioning organ or limb?
God has placed you here for a grand purpose.
You are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!!!
What are you doing to contribute to the Body?
“each one [us] is a part of it.”
