if i could

i would no longer be barren



A sermon from First Corinthians on the occasion of the Annual Meeting

It’s the Annual Meeting.
All the members are called together for an official report on the state of the congregation. There’s average worship to evaluate. The budget. Pledges verses expenses. An update on work with Faith and Bethany. News about building repairs and the list of others that need to be done. 

This is the Annual Meeting, after all; one day when we, without any shame or guilt, dwell on our dwelling…
It’s the Annual Meeting; our corporate meeting, if you will. 
The day we take stock, of our stock.

And don’t get me wrong. I’m right with you. 
Traditional wisdom insists we meet at least once a year and take a look at our revenue. Consider how we can strengthen our finances. Contemplate ways to improve our facility. 

We have to take stock of our stock. What we have, and what we need.

In the Epistle, Paul is telling the folks at First Lutheran in Corinth to take stock of their stock, too… 
The Corinthians don’t have what they really need. 

Oh sure, they have plenty of money. And granted, their membership is a regular whose-who of Corinth. Plus, those who have joined are filled with spiritual gifts. 
What they really need, though, they’re desperately lacking…

Despite all their resources, and the Corinthians have resources, they don’t have what they really need. 
Full as they are of the Holy Spirit, they’re lacking what matters. 
Bulging though their rolls may be, what counts is pitifully hollow.
Filled though their coffers are; they’re bankrupt where it counts. 

Paul has to tell the Corinthians, they’ve invested in all the wrong places. If they’re going to make it, they need to put their stock somewhere else. 

“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels,” says Paul, “but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 
    • They have the gift of speaking in tongues; but without love, all their spiritual talk is a racket.
“And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,” Paul dares to say, “but do not have love, I am nothing.” 
    • Their are wise and faithful folks among the Corinthians; but if they don't have love, their wisdom, even their faith, doesn’t count for a rotten thing.
“If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast,” Paul declares, “but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 
    • They’re gracious and charitable, but not loving, so they don’t have a thing. 
The Corinthians figure their future will be secured by what they deem as their assets. Paul, though, insists their assets, aren’t! They’ve got their priorities and their principals all mixed up. 
The Corinthians think they’re no different from anyone else. They think their congregation is no different than the society down the street. And they’re acting like it! They’ve invested in all the practical things; professionalism and prominence. They’ve made reasonable decisions

And Paul’s baffled they’re acting like this! Like any old organization; another business, another nonprofit, another social club, another volunteer organization. 
They’re not! They’re not an organization, they’re an organism. And not just any organism, either. They’re the body of Christ!

Given that fact, Paul has to tell the Corinthians all those things they thought were their assets, are actually closer to liabilities. Everything they’ve been investing in, isn’t made to last in the Kingdom of God. It has no place in the Body of Christ. 

Because the God the Corinthians have, isn’t any old God. Certainly not the god of commerce or success. And the Kingdom they belong to, isn’t any old kingdom, either.
They’re acting is if their kingdom were like any other, though. 
Neglecting what their life is actually built on; valuing spiritual gifts over love and cherishing membership over one another. 
All to their own detriment. 
If they were any other kind of organization, their behavior would be reasonable. 
But that isn’t the kind of body they are!
Their God rules, not with force, but love. The kingdom they belong to, comes not by power, but prayer.

The Corinthians, and all Christians for that matter, aren’t guided by practical wisdom; they’re guided by Jesus. They’re not just anyone, they’re citizens of the Kingdom of God.

To make his point, Paul launches into that familiar litany. The beautiful depiction of love. Make no mistake, though, Paul isn’t merely describing a happy marriage. He’s describing the body of Christ!

“Love is patient;” Paul says. 
It’s kind; it isn’t envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It doesn’t insist on its own way; it’s not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Paul describing life in the body of Christ! He’s describing the life of every soul The Church has ever gotten it’s hands on and claimed in baptism. He’s describing you and me. He’s describing Trinity Lutheran!

Today is our Annual Meeting; and Paul would have us think about this day through the lens of our savior, Jesus.
The temptation will be to think our future is in a budget, how much money we can stock away. It’s easy to think our strength is in this building. It’s hard not to put our trust in the attendance statistics.
But Paul insists all those things, are false idols. In the end, they will fail us. They aren’t made to last in the Kingdom of God! As Paul says, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”

We don’t belong to the kingdom of this world; which relies on power and force. We belong to the Kingdom of God; which is run by love. 

Without love, we don’t have a darn thing. 
If our budget is strong, but we don’t have love, we’re actually weak. If our building is pristine, but we don’t have love, we’re truly repellant. If our membership is swelling, but we don’t have love, we’re really empty. 

Sisters and brothers, all those things we’ve been chasing after: money, mortar and members; those things we can never get enough of; they’re doing us in. 

Just like the Corinthians… 
Only, unlike the Corinthians, we at least know our sorry state. We at least know Paul was right, all those things wind up failing. 

The news today isn’t the best. It’s becoming clear that what Paul said all along, is true. All there is for folks like us, folks claimed by such a strange God, is faith, hope and love.
And that’s the Good News.

Faith, hope and love; which God abundantly gives us; is all we have. Faith, hope and love which, incredibly enough, Paul insists, is all we need too.

This faith, hope and love is all we have. 

And it may not seem like a lot, but with it God saved the World…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

in measured hundredweight and penny pound

Image
when the man comes 'round Sixth Sermon from the book of Revelation: passages from chapters 17 & 19 Today’s scripture isn’t THE End , but it’s pretty darn close.  This is the Final battle. The battle that ushers in The End. The battle where Good and Evil have it out. The battle that determines what The End will look like. And honestly, it doesn’t go down the way we were expecting.  First of all, it’s no actual battling in this battle.  There’s no fighting! Jesus just shows up. The only weapon he wields is his presence, his word. And it’s enough!!! Because secondly, the battle is over before it even begins! Jesus simply arrives, and his mere presence is enough to subdue the enemies of God. This Final Battle does not go the way we would expect. Without any fighting, concluding before it can even begin. Of all the surprises, though, the biggest is something of a detail , so let me read the passage to you: “(Jesus, the Rider of the white horse)
Read more

i take flight

Image
on borrowed time A sermon on the conclusion to Philippians : Seeing as my second month of sabbatical is about to begin, let’s play a little game !   One of the express intents of sabbatical is to provide rest . And while I could provide of list of the things that tire me out, I think we would all agree that what’s really tiresome about a vocation are its worries . So, let me ask you, what do you think I worry about? What do you think keeps me awake at night? Or, since you all know me, when have you actually seen me worrisome? Go ahead! Really think about it. The rest of the sermon will work better if you engage. What do you think I worry about? I came up with this idea for this game while working on the first draft of the sermon. Initially, I made a list of things I worry about. However , the prospect of reading that aloud seemed so dull and so trying that I couldn’t countenance the thought of subjecting you all to that. Nevertheless, now that I’ve asked, it only seems pro
Read more

anywhere you wanna go

Image
i really want to roll with you a sermon on S. Paul's perfect opening salvo of 1 Corinthians : How’s it going ? How did last week go ? And how do you feel about this upcoming one? Or, what about you ? How are you ? I mean, really , how are you?   Or, what about that old question? You know, the one clergy used to ask, but now , for whatever reason, never seem to anymore. You know the question. How is it with your soul ? Well, how is it? I mean it! How goes it? Take a moment to consider the inquiry. Whichever one you like, too. As it suits you. How are you ? How’s life ? How’s your soul ? Well? Honestly, you probably won’t be asked to consider your interior life this week. What’s more, you won’t be asked in a place like this . This is a space that’s as sacred as it is safe . You’re in practically the ideal place to consider how it’s going. Not only are you protected , eternity itself is also shedding its indelible light upon your reflections.   Not bad. Huh? But that’s not all,
Read more