The Marvelous Body Of Christ

January 23, 2022

Hope Lutheran Church

Rev. Mary Erickson

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

The Marvelous Body of Christ

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Next month, athletes from across the world will gather in Beijing for the 24th Winter Olympic Games. Eau Claire’s own Ben Loomis will be among them, to participate in the Nordic Combined.

These athletes are amazing! From downhill skiers and speed skaters to freestyle snowboarders and hockey players, these athletes have achieved phenomenal strength and balance and endurance. They’ve honed the coordination of their many body parts so that they work in perfect concert with one another. It’s a marvel to watch them.

It’s helpful for me to think of them as I consider St. Paul’s words in First Corinthians.

St. Paul uses the illustration of the marvelous human body to describe our life together in Christ. Just as the human body has many varied parts, so are we in our Christian community. Paul concludes that we are the body of Christ here present in this world. We have been filled with the spirit of Christ and embody his presence and word and service in the world.

Just as the body is comprised of a multitude of members, each unique and different from one another, so are we as the body of Christ. Just look at us! We’re all so different, and we celebrate that.

• In terms of our vocations, we have CPA’s, carpenters, school guidance counselors, cooks, independent business owners, stay at home parents.

• We are single, married, widowed, divorced.

• We hold different philosophical and political views.

• We cover the age spectrum. We are hale and hardy, we’re frail and vulnerable.

• We come from different races and ethnic backgrounds.

We’re delightfully variegated. And our strength lies in our diversity. Your unique nature is a blessing to our shared life in Christ. And despite all of our tremendous multiplicity, we are one. We are one in the Holy Spirit, one in Baptism, one in our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what unites us. Like the Olympic athlete, all of our diverse parts now work in concert towards our one Lord, for Christ is the head.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that no one body part is more important than another. The eye needs the ear for hearing. The hand depends on the foot for mobility. In the same way, we need one another, we need ALL of us to achieve our full potential and ability.

If you’ve ever broken a bone or had a sprained limb or a wounded body part, you know what it’s like to lose the capability of that member. You suffer to do even the simplest things.

In these COVID-19 times, we are acutely aware of how much we miss the people who are not able to be with us! While we’ve been separated, we miss the fellowship and the shared service we used to cherish. We long for the time when this ordeal will be past, when we can all join in our gathered worship, when we can roll up our sleeves alongside of one another in acts of service.

It’s essential for us to ask ourselves the tough questions: who are we missing? Who might we be excluding? Is there anyone in our fellowship we are disempowering?

We might be in a habit of getting tasks done with the same circle of people that we call on to help us each time. But might there be other individuals who have been overlooked? Are there sisters and brothers who might be waiting for an invitation to serve? Is there someone who would appreciate having someone to sit with in church, a friendly face who will greet them when they arrive?

Each one of us holds keys to power and authority in our life together. How can we share access to leadership and service?

Who are we missing in our life together as the body of Christ? Like many congregations, Hope tends to skew a little older. We’re underrepresented by youth and young adults. It’s this realization that has led our church council to establish “growing young” as one of our strategic priorities. During this coming year we’ll explore six essential strategies congregations which are growing young possess. How can we reach out in welcome and mission to embrace the younger members of our body?

Who else are we missing in our life as the body of Christ? Martin Luther King Jr. famously noted that the most segregated hour in Christian America is eleven o’clock on Sundays. How might our life together be enriched if we enjoyed a more diverse ethnic and racial mix? Are there steps we could take to make Hope a more welcoming place for people of color? These are all good questions for us to ponder and discuss.