Dearly Beloved, we have gathered here today to celebrate the love…is often the words we hear preceding the reading of 1 Corinthians 13. It is good that we read what has come to be known as the Love Chapter at a wedding, because it reminds us as we are uniting a couple in love for the rest of their lives just what that love looks like. But in so doing, we often gloss over the warning that Paul was writing to the church. Each of these verses proposes good things for Christians to be doing, but only if they are motivated by God’s love. Because of the sermon series we’re doing this month, the message today will focus mostly on the first verse. (read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
For the month of January, we’ve been taking a look at some of the sounds of the Bible that are often overlooked. We started with the shofar, which was blown to usher in the new year, representing a time of atonement and fresh starts. Last week, Jeff taught us about the sound of cherubim wings and how they accompany the judgment and mercy of God. This week, we take a look at the sound of a gong.
Now, the first thing that comes to mind for me when I think of a gong is an Oriental throne room with a large gong being struck to announce the entrance of a dignitary. It might sound something like this (play sound of a gong). But as I was looking for something to demonstrate the sound of the gong, I came across these attempts to play the gong, that some of you may recognize. (play there is a video of clips from the first season of The Muppet Show with Gonzo finishing the theme song with a series of mishaps while trying to play the gong).
Did you know that this is the ONLY time a gong is ever mentioned in the Bible? So why would Paul choose this instance in this letter to illustrate his point with a gong? What imagery came to the mind of his readers when they read this passage? Scholars point to three possibilities:
1. The Greeks, including those who were in Corinth, built these large, stone, open air amphitheaters. In those days, you could sit in the nose bleed section and still clearly hear what the actors were saying. How could they do that without the skills of a sound technician adjusting the volume? They used gongs strategically placed throughout the seating area. The actors learned how to position themselves so that the gong would reverberate with the sound of their voices, amplifying their words throughout the theater. The downside for this is that it created a false, hollow sound in their voices. The result wasn’t true; it came off as empty. So that could be what Paul was referencing here.
2. Another possibility scholars point to was the dual use of a shield as both protection in battle and a gong for sending signals or marching orders to the Roman troops. You heard the sound of one gong being struck a bit ago, now imagine being lined up for battle and having hundreds, even thousands of them being struck over and over as your enemy approached. I’m sure that not only was it painful to the ears, but would cause the earth underneath your feet to shake as well. Those who go with this option point out that it goes well with the idea of a clanging cymbal because that was often the instrument used in the same manner by the Jewish army of that time period, so Paul could be making sure he's covering all his bases in making his point to both the Jews and the Greeks that this is a sound of conflict.
3. The third use of a gong in those times, and the one I believe is the most feasible, is that many Corinthians owned and used gongs as part of their worship of the Greek/Roman gods. They believed that the banging and clanging of their gong helped them to achieve a type of spiritual ecstasy. Can you imagine walking down the street and continually hearing people clanging their gongs? Oh, the headache that would produce, I would think. I liken it to living near the train tracks. They say you get used to the sound of the train going by, but let’s face it- there are times when enough is enough. We had friends in Chicago whose apartment was near the el. Every time a train went by, their apartment would shake. I can’t imagine trying to get used to that.
Regardless of which of the three types of gongs you believe Paul is referring to here, it is clear that he is warning his readers. You see, the Corinthian church had been struggling with divisions over several issues. Paul had just addressed many of them (elitist snobbery- Paul, Apollos, Cephas, Christ; sexual impropriety- looking the other way when knowing a brother was caught up in sin; personal preferences- elevating matters of conscience to standard of salvation; and divisive conduct in worship- abusing the Lord’s supper, elevating certain spiritual gifts over others) and is now pointing them to a more excellent way- Love.
(read 1 Corinthians 13:1) Speak in the tongues of men and of angels. Paul is talking about the way that we communicate the gospel here. I find his message to be very pertinent in our digital age. We have here the Truth that the world is dying to hear, but if we present it without love, they’d rather die not hearing it. The lost among us have seen so many poor examples of a gospel presentation that they’re turning a deaf ear because all they hear is a noisy gong. While, initially a gong may initially catch your attention and may even cause you to pause for a moment, as it continues to clang, it becomes an annoying nuisance.
For instance, when we lived in St. Louis, I initially ministered bi-vocationally, working with a mentoring organization. Probably half the office was Christian and some of us were working on the other half. When the weather was warm, there was a street preacher who would stand at a busy intersection near downtown. In one hand, he held a rather large bible. In the other, he held a microphone connected to a portable speaker. This man would stand there for hours at a time, shouting various passages of scripture at the people walking by. The scary thing was, he seemed to be happy to be telling people that they were going to hell. Sadly, as co-workers would drive by and hear his message, they were turned off and it became more difficult to share the gospel. He was a noisy gong.
We’ve all heard the name Westboro Baptist and probably shudder. They protest soldiers’ funerals to proclaim God’s hate for the sins of our nation, telling people these soldiers got exactly what they had coming. Sadly, try to take a stand for the truth of Jesus when someone is proclaiming their rights and liberties devoid of faith and they write you off as being hateful and any number of negative -isms that nobody wants to be called in an effort to shut us down because they’ve seen Westboro’s stance and conclude that we must be just like them based only on the fact that we have called a sin a sin. They are noisy gongs.
Then there’s fake news, the phenomenon that is now sweeping, well, the news. Fake news is made-up stuff, masterfully manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread online to large audiences willing to believe the fictions and spread the word. In 2016, the prevalence of political fact abuse – made easy by the words of two polarizing presidential candidates and their passionate supporters – gave rise to an unprecedented spreading of fake news. In fact, the Oxford Dictionary created a new word and declared it to be the word of the year- “post-truth”. They define it as “the state of affairs when objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” (red within quotes together on one slide, then back to title) We have to be careful to not get caught up in liking and sharing and passing along these fake news stories as if they are true for two reasons. First of all, they’re fake. Albeit unknowingly, we may be passing along lies. Second, when a non-believing friend sees fake news and can show it to be fake, it causes them to react in one of two ways. They either choose to not trust the person who shared the fake news or they write off the person’s faith because if they’re gullible enough to buy that story, then maybe it’s the same case with their faith, so why would I be interested in what they’re trying to share? If we’re not careful, we can become noisy gongs.
I have a confession to make. I’m a recovering noisy gong. This is an area in my life in which I have always struggled. I love to communicate the good news that Jesus has paid the price for our sins and God’s grace is offered freely to those who will believe, confess, repent, get baptized, and live for Him. But I don’t always remember to demonstrate love as I share that truth. I especially struggled to find that balance in high school. I was the nerd of my class- I hated when friends began discussing how long they studied for a test because I knew they’d eventually ask me. Typically, I studied the least and scored the highest and some of them didn’t like that. Being in a small town, it seemed the majority of my class turned to partying and all that goes along with it. Because I was open about my faith in Jesus, my friends knew I wasn’t into that scene. Most respected it, some decided I was judgmental (they were probably right to some degree) and gave me a hard time about it. I liked being right, I liked having the truth on my side, and I wasn’t going to back down for nobody. Being right was fine, but my tactics weren’t always the best.
Even today I struggle with that. I like to be right and sometimes my family will remind me that I know what they meant and don’t have to correct every last detail. It’s not hard for me to catch myself chasing a rabbit trail in a discussion with someone on Facebook. Even in writing this sermon this week, my prayer has been, “Lord, help me to speak ABOUT noisy gongs without BEING a noisy gong myself.” That said, I’ve probably spent enough time talking about what is a noisy gong- someone who is communicating the truth of God’s word absent of God’s love and begin looking at how we can ensure that we don’t become noisy gongs proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ while turning them away from His kingdom.
The first thing we must do is continually examine ourselves. We need to remember where we came from. Earlier in his letter, Paul reminded the Corinthians of this truth. (read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) We have not saved ourselves. Notice the wording- you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified. Those are all things done to you and for you. By whom? The Holy Spirit of our God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul doesn’t exclude himself from that reminder. (read 1 Timothy 1:12-15) How humbling is that? It is with such an attitude of humility that we are able to speak the exalted truth of an eternal relationship with God through Jesus Christ so that people can see our love for them and potentially find an open ear.
I’m going to borrow an acronym I first saw on a classroom wall. I believe they provide a good standard for us as we consider when and how we engage the secular society that surrounds us. If we don’t want to be a noisy gong, as we prepare to speak, we need to THINK.
T - is it true? (read 1 Timothy 5:19) Paul gives this instruction to Timothy because the elders are worthy of the church’s respect. This ensured their good reputation didn’t get tarnished by false accusations or rumors. We’re also told in the Ten Commandments to not bear false witness. When we come across sensational headlines or stories, we need to make sure they haven’t twisted the facts to further an agenda. Check the source, make sure it’s trustworthy. Yes, truth can be stranger than fiction at times, but when we’re passing along a story and the person we’re trying to win over can point out the discrepancies, or worse- that it was a piece of satire or faked to see who would give a knee jerk reaction, it doesn’t help our cause.
H - is it helpful? (read 1 Corinthians 10:23) This is about discerning the situation. Will speaking up here and now benefit our cause? Sometimes you can interject and people will be willing to learn from you because you approached it with respect. Other times, it’s not going to matter what you say, they’ve got their minds made up and speaking will only make it worse. I may be able to correct them, but will it help draw them to Christ?
I- is it inspiring? (read Hebrews 10:24) Our goal in speaking out should be to inspire people to become more like Christ. We should always be seeking these opportunities along with new methods to spur people to grow in their faith, whether that be someone who is just getting started on their faith journey or a Christian veteran who has found themselves stuck in a rut. Can I inspire them to do something that when they complete it they can only say, but by the grace of God this happened?
N- is it necessary? (read Matthew 7:6) Again, we need to discern the situation. There are times we absolutely must step up and take the stand. I believe Kim Davis refusing to sign same sex marriage licenses in Kentucky was one of those times. Other times, we must realize that restraint and silence are the loudest voice we can use to make a point. Recognize that we don’t have to take the bait and engage in an argument every time someone puts out an opposing view. Never wrestle with a pig. You get dirty and the pig enjoys it.
K- is it kind? (read 1 Corinthians 4:12b-13a) This is where the rubber really meets the road. Can I share what needs to be said in a kind manner? When the other person is emotionally invested and amped up over the issue, can I speak the truth with love in such a way that they will hear what’s being said? It doesn’t matter what they’ve said or done, we’ve got to take the high road and kill them with kindness.
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. I don’t want to be a noisy gong and I don’t think you do either. We’ve got a message to tell the whole world. If we want the world to hear it, we must think. If we don’t we risk being a noisy gong and our words heard about as clearly as the Peanuts schoolteacher (wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa)
But frankly, we can’t do it on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us and act as our Counsellor to find the right balance of sharing the Truth of God’s kingdom without becoming a noisy gong. We are promised that Holy Spirit when we give our lives to Jesus in the waters of baptism.
Invitation
