October 21, 2001
I Corinthians 12:27-13:3
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"A More Excellent Way"

 

"CONSECRATION SUNDAY"

All of us are in need of a break from the fairly intense and direct sermons of the last two Sundays.  Hopefully, our prayers and our efforts will result in funds that are sufficient to operate our Church for the year 2002.  That would be well received by all, I am sure.  Today, we need some holy fun because, unfortunately, the people who needed to be challenged most are the people who are seldom here.  Today, I want to speak about the stewardship of attitudes.

A devout Christian gentleman, on vacation in Southern California was walking along the beach.  As he walked and mused about his relationship to the Almighty, a voice came to him and said, “dear friend, you have been a faithful follower of mine - so faithful in fact, that I want to reward you by granting a wish that you may have.”

Overwhelmed and appreciative, the vacationer said, “Thank you God I am indeed grateful and I have given this some thought.  I would like to have a bridge between the West Coast and Hawaii.  In that manner, when I come here, I could drive to Hawaii whenever I wished rather than go by plane or boat.”

“A bridge to Hawaii”, replied God.  “I am a little disappointed in your request.  It is so materialistic.  Just think of the expense of all that steel and concrete, not to mention the manpower needs to build something that huge and long.  Your request is too materialistic, I want you to reconsider and come up with another request that is more in keeping with my concern for human kind.”

After some time, the man replied, “OK, then I would like to understand women.  I want to know that they are thinking when they cry and when they are silent, when they say, ‘it doesn’t matter or when they say ‘Oh, nothing’” After a long pause God replied, “would you like two or four lanes on that bridge?”

Whenever humans say they understand the mind of God, beware!  When someone says to me, God spoke to me and said - I want to run for cover.  How come they have this buddy relationship, it’s never happened to me.

I pray quite a bit, but it’s not a conversation.  For me it is humbling imploring for God’s spirit and for the ability to do what appears to be right.  Usually, I find my prayers are answered, the way I wanted or not, in hindsight, not in words that I hear.  There is a sense, for me, not a voice.

I find there is a great deal that I do not understand about God.  I think that’s the way it supposed to be.  How can a creature understand a creator?  Why should I fully understand God?  To do so would be to make God like a human; that is not only impossible, it is idolatry.  God always speaks out of mystery because God is always greater than; the wholly other; the Being beyond being. 

God, I believe, is the object of our faith.  The Bible begins, In the beginning God.  I have to accept that.  There is no proof.  Belief is the leap of faith and unless we are willing to taker that leap of faith we will always find ourselves wondering.  We’d be like the dyslectic agnostic who stayed awake at night wondering if there was a dog.

When it comes to faith I believe it is a leap; it is having the boldness to say, like the person who came to Jesus to have his son healed; I believe, help my unbelief.

I also happen to believe that is the way that we approach the scriptures.  I don’t understand it all, and I’ll wager you don’t either.  I think that great theologian Mark Twain got it right when he said, “The parts of the Bible that trouble me most are the parts that I DO understand.”

In the scripture of today, it seems to me that Paul is talking to the Church at Corinth about the stewardship of attitudes.  Corinth was a strategic city in Greece.  The southern part of Greece is very nearly an Island.  It joins the mainland only by a 4-mile wide isthmus.  Corinth is on that isthmus.

All traffic from Athens and the northern part of Greece to Sparta had to go through Corinth, on that isthmus.  In addition to being a land transportation center, it was also a seaport of great significance, because of its location and the treacherous waters off of Cape Matapan.  Corinth was a great merchant center and where merchandise is available and bought luxuries also come for people to purchase.

The down side of Corinth is just as a city of that magnitude attracts what is available to purchase and what is good in the arts, it also attracts that which is evil and alluring.  Corinth became known as a city of debauchery.  A temple was built on the Acropolis of Corinth, a temple honoring Aphrodite, the goddess of love.  One thousand priestesses were part of that temple and they were temple prostitutes who plied their trade in the streets of Corinth.  To put it mildly, that is effective evangelism.

There in Corinth, Paul started a Christian Church, but Corinth was a troubled Church where people did their own thing and failed to follow the teachings of Christ.  Some followed Appolos, some Cephus’ some shared their food at the sacrament celebration, some spread their own table and ate it all themselves.  There was constant arguing over who was right or what was correct or who was superior or most important.  Paul was concerned about this struggling Church.

It is out of this background that Paul writes about the stewardship of attitude.  In the process he proposes a way of living and worshipping together that, if followed, would make that Church and any other, for that matter, cooperative, vital and caring.

Let’s do a little role-playing.  Picture yourselves as members of a Church that ought to be easy, most of you are.  Now, think of yourselves as singers, Sunday schools teachers, members of the Church council, the board of Deacons or trustees or Christian Education or communications or Care board or Fellowship committee or Benevolence board or the stewardship board or the Governance committee or even the Budget and finance committee.  Got it?

Now think of yourself as a member of the quilters or the discussion group or the study sessions or the prayer group of the bell ringers.  Now, think that the board or committee or activity of which you are a part is the most important organization in the entire Church- that ought not to be too hard, some of you already think that way.

Into that milieu, Paul or the preacher of whatever Church says, “love one another as Christ has loved you.”  You sitting in the pew say, OK, but not

The quilters, some are not members.  Or not the fellowship committee, they are nor nearly as important a Christian Education.  Meantime the trustees are saying listen, nothing is as important as this building, if it isn’t maintained none of you will have anywhere to meet and then, the stewardship committee is saying of you don’t give us money; if we don’t receive 5% of your income or if you don’t raise your pledge the equivalent of one big Mac per week we won’t have anything: and all the while the choir is piously singing, They Will Know We Are Christian By Our Love.

Paul was addressing a group like that in Corinth when he wrote the solution.  Listen to what he said.

“Now, YOU are the body of Christ and individually members of it.  And God has appointed in the Church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues.

Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all possess gifts of healing?  Do all, speak in different languages?  Do all interpret those languages?  I want you to desire the best gifts-those from on high; so I will show you a more excellent way”. That ends chapter 12.  We have to go to chapter 13 for the solution.  You have all read or heard the solution many times; now listen to it again in the context of the more excellent way that binds together all of the talents of people in a body called the Church.

Here is the solution: “If, I speak in the tongues of men and angels but don’t have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.  If, I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I had such great faith that mountains could be removed and had no love, I AM NOTHING!

If I give away all that I have, even give my body to be burned and don’t have love, I gain precisely, nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.  Love does not insist on its own way!  It is not irritable or resentful; it does NOT rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things love never ends.” and the chapter continues.

Wow!  Picture a church like that.  That is the stewardship of attitudes and when it is part of the stewardship of using your time for God and using your talent in the service of God then, it simply demands the stewardship of your means as response to what God has made available, IF we will accept and use it.

True stewardship says, God has somehow called me to THIS Church, warts and all.  This is MY Church home therefore, THIS Church is MY responsibility and I am going to see that it is a Church of Jesus Christ in this place.

Here is what I would like to see.  The Rev Wes Seeliger { 1} was a Chaplain at Texas A&M University, home of the Aggie, and a military school.  He says, “hazing is an important part of life in Aggieland.  But the freshmen, as proof of their growing manliness, are expected to retaliate occasionally.  Of course they catch it if they do.

This is the way it works.  The freshmen will single out a particularly hated upper classman.  While he is away for the weekend, they break into his room, deposit a couple of armadillos, and lock it up again.

When our Simon Legree senior returns on Sunday night and surveys the ruin, he plans revenge.

Monday morning.  At the pre-breakfast formation, the enrages senior paces up and down in front of the freshmen in his outfit.  He glares at them as they stand at attention.  Finally he shouts, ‘All right, who is responsible for the armadillos being in my room?’

All the freshmen, even those who were away on passes shout in unison , ‘I am Mr. Jones, Sir!’

‘Very well,’ responds Mr. Jones,’ you will report to me Saturday morning at 0500 for exercise.  All weekend passes are cancelled.’  Perhaps only two or three freshmen engineered Operation Armadillo, but all accept the punishment.  That’s solidarity.

Here is the scene I would like to see.  This Church is having it annual meeting.  The pastor is just giving the State of the Church address.  Suddenly the door flies open and the room is flooded with light.  While the building trembles, God strides in.  Everyone snaps to attention.  God catches each eye.  God walks up and down in front of the congregation and booms out, ‘All right, who is responsible for this Church?’

In unison everyone shouts , ‘ I am, Mr. Jehovah, Sir.’  

 

(Seeliger, W. One Inch From The Fence, Atlanta, Forum House Publishers, 1973, page 83)