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Many Members, One Body By Rev. Jonathan Gale Sunday 14th August, 2011 Romans 12: 4 - 8 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles 12 Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: 14Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, 16and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
There’s something wonderful about community. This weekend Anglican young people have been running a leadership course and sleeping over in the hall, and all of yesterday there was music coming from the church as people got in some practice for the Parish Concert. An out of town couple came to see me about a wedding and were astounded at all the people and activity. It’s not what they had expected of a church. Jesus was about forming community and in our reading we see that after spending the night in prayer to the Father, the next day he selects from his many disciples, a group of 12 to be apostles: and what a motley crew they were! I mean Jesus actually admits to this because in Matthew 11 (last week’s reading) he prays, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;” and in 1 Corinthians 1 Paul says to the Christians in Corinth: 26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29so that no one might boast in the presence of God. I can imagine a conversation in heaven between 2 of the apostles – James and John - those two formerly ambitious young men – before Jesus adjusted their attitude that is: leaders of the church and the torch-bearers of the Christian message: John: Hey James. James: Huh? John: Hey James, you remember when we asked Jesus if we could sit next to him on his throne; one on his right hand and one on his left? James: Yeah, judging the 12 tribes of Israel! John: Well, we didn’t make the grade, did we? James: I suppose not. John: Yeah well that’s cos we qualify for an even better group. James: Oh? What group is that then? John: The apostles, you dummy! James: Oh. Okay. And what qualifications do we have for that? John: Well, according to Jesus, and Paul here they are: · Unwise (uh …that’s mentioned twice) · Unintelligent · Infantile · Weak (that’s also mentioned twice) · Of mean birth · Foolish · Low and despised James: Cool! Looks like we’re in John: We’re in already, Jackass! James: Ah. Yeah. Well, that’s a bit of creative imagining, but is a bit sobering to think that Jesus left the salvation of the world in the hands of a few human beings. As someone has said before, “God has no Plan B”. He has left the preaching of the gospel, the demonstration of Christ’s love for the lost and hurt, the building of the church (against which, as the Scripture says, the gates of hell shall not prevail) all in our hands. And he has no other plan. We’re it! I’d say that when God says we should live by faith, it’s not like he doesn’t practise what he preaches. You certainly need faith to leave the most critical work there is in human hands. On the other hand, and before you think God doesn’t think too highly of the abilities of Christians, I’d like us to think a little about the wording we find on the central stained glass window directly behind the altar. These words are our sentence for the day, and are written in honour of Canon Joseph Bates who was Vicar of Holy Trinity from 1872 – 1897, and they are a quote from Ephesians 4 and Psalm 68: “he led captivity captive” and the scripture goes on to say “He gave gifts to men.” Paul was recalling a tradition from ancient times. When a Roman general returned victorious from battle he was given an honour called a tribute. This involved passing before a reviewing stand where Caesar and the royal court were seated. In a long line the General, then his victorious army, then his captives: the wagon loads of plunder and the kings and nobles of the countries he had defeated, and finally all the slaves he’d captured, bound and chained together: would parade. Now the general would only bring with him – often a journey of hundreds of miles – that which was precious, that which made a valuable gift. Paul changed the meaning slightly in Ephesians 4:8 saying that at the cross when Jesus defeated His enemies He gave gifts to the church instead of receiving them Himself. Now Jesus would not go to all the trouble of a cruel death is order to give shabby gifts to the church. Of course his main gift is salvation, but salvation results in saved people: you and me. Then in verse 11 Paul lists the gifts Jesus gave to the church. These gifts are people - you and me - exercising our works of service. We are the precious gifts the conquering Christ gives to the church and there’s nothing shabby about us! He went a long way to capture us and we’re precious to Him. Paul goes on to outline the purpose of these gifts. The purpose for which you and I are given to the Church. The reason we Christians exist, is (Vs12) “for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ... And in Vs15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. Now there’s a mouthful! We are Christ’s precious gifts to the Church – and only so as we exercise our works of service - in order that the Body of Christ (that is the Church) might be strong (equipped with unity), bound together and each one carrying out our different roles (exercising our talents) – and the effect of this is the body’s growth as it builds itself up in love. Each part has a different role to play. One body, but many members. You see, if there was something that attracted Jesus to the simple men he chose as his apostles, it was their variegated nature, and it was that, that made them an effective team together. Jesus had a group of people, each with their own strengths and different contributions to offer. Not one alike, all different and all full of offbeat ideas and ambitions, but all with one thing in common: a desire to follow and learn from Jesus. It’s an old saying but it’s a good one, “Jesus does not look for ability, but for availability.” Each of us here this morning has made ourselves available to God, simply by being here today; gathered before God, hungry for fellowship with Christ through his word and round his table. Each one of us is unique: not one the same. Each presenting our different talents to God for the building up of the church, the Body of Christ. Some of you eight o’clockers are the Elders of the church. You and those before you have laid a firm foundation upon which the church is growing today. As I look around me I see people involved in: · Praying the morning office here each morning at a quarter to nine · Preparing and hosting the Fellowship Lunch · Serving in the Op Shop · Intercessory prayer · Leading bible studies · Looking after the finances of the church · Assisting at Wednesday Holy Communion · Serving as liturgical assistants · Working in pastoral care · Welcoming worshippers at the church door · Playing the organ and singing in the choir · Giving sacrificially of your money · Assisting and running home groups · Cleaning the church · And probably many other things unseen by others We can’t all serve at Holy Communion (well, not at the same time anyway), but we can all pray – and how necessary that is! The point is, all give of their time and resources in some way or another, all contribute the talents God has given them for the building of the Church (the Body of Christ) – and that‘s as it should be. This quiet energy evidenced in determined ministry has laid strong foundations and that’s as God desires it to be. I’ve been in several parishes, and when I arrived at Holy Trinity it struck me how committed you all were. I do believe this warms God’s heart. When we carry out our ministries in faith, stretching ourselves and trusting the Holy Spirit to help us in the process, that is what makes what we do different from the average unchurched do-gooder. We do all in faith and for the glory of God – and that’s eternal. And we do it in love! These are the factors that make our lives significant. Never underestimate the impact of an act done in faith and in the name of Christ. Both large and small things done in faith and love can have a great impact. Last week we had the Covenant Players with us. Jay La Rue, who was billeted in the vicarage, was telling me how he went to a youth meeting as a young church-going man and was told that he had to accept Christ. He wondered what this was about, as he’d been going to church for as long as he could remember with his mother. What was this accepting Christ business? However, he prayed a little prayer: “Okay, come in.” That’s all. Simply that. A little deed, but a significant deed, because that changed his life. When he woke up the next morning he knew things were different. In fact his mother asked him a few weeks later what was going on with him because he seemed to be glowing! You see, Jay may have thought he was saying “Okay, come in.” – and he was – but more importantly it was God who was saying to him, “It’s okay. Come in! Come in because I’ve made a way for you to traverse the wilderness of sin, to bridge the gap between you and God and to be part of the family of God. And what’s more, I have a role for you.” And in his case it was literally a role, many roles in fact, in many plays that encourage people to love and serve God. May I encourage you all in the good work you are doing? May I say how much it warms God’s heart? May I let you know that it does not go unnoticed? Certainly not by God, and that’s what counts. So approach the Lord’s table this morning in the knowledge that we are many members, but one body. And remember as you eat and drink, that on a Passover night almost 2000 years ago, God’s Son looked into the face of death with a determination to see it through to the end in order that we might live, not only in the next life, but as one body of believers right here in Devonport, where each of us has a role to play, each of us is significant, no matter how small that role may be. There are no bit parts in God’s family! Your part is important! And who knows. Perhaps one day you’ll enter heaven and parade before the throne of God, and God will ask you, “What captives do you bring with you?” And you’ll say, “I’m bringing myself, because Jesus captured me and made me a gift to the Church.” And God will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Come and share your master's happiness!” God bless you. Amen. |
