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My heart beats for love. I want to be different. I want to be who I am called to be. WORTHY and LOVED!

Sunday, May 27, 2018

“Life Together: Ministry” 2 Corinthians 6: 1-13


Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians always amazes me. It has sections that are often quoted, chiefly a passage about love that is used as weddings. But if we read the surrounding chapters, we find that Paul needs to speak to the church in Corinth about love because they are behaving so poorly towards one another. Not acting as the church of Jesus Christ. 
By second Corinthians, where we find today’s scripture passage, it appears that the situation has not improved. Paul again writes to the church and essentially tells them to get their act together, because what is at stake is so high. At a first glance it may seem like Paul is concerned about his ministry - his authority. But really Paul is passionately pleading with the church to put the ministry of Jesus Christ first; its because the stakes are so high that Paul’s emotions are high.
The truth is sometimes we miss the point as the local church. Sometimes we get so caught up in the trivial, because it feels important to us at the time, that we surely miss the point. Our District Superintendent a few years ago shard the story of a church that fought over the color of new carpet for their sanctuary. I served a church that fought over nursery renovations. Another church over kitchen space and supplies. Do you see a pattern developing here? Sometimes we get so caught up in the physical building that we forget that we, together, are the body of Christ in ministry to the world. Our building is a wonderful tool that we are to be good stewards of, but it is not the church with a capital ‘C’.
Think about all of the things that you have heard of churches fighting over - money, calendars, space, special traditions, special worship services - I’m sure you could think of a few things to add to this list as well. None of those things are actually the Church. Yes, they are gifts and tools, we use to do the ministry and mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world - but when we get so caught up in them that we fight, we’ve missed the point. 
While we read bits and pieces of scripture during church and Bible Study and personal devotions, when the scripture was first given, it wasn’t written with chapters and verses and headings. This letter of Paul to the Church in. Corinth - was just that - a letter. It was meant to be a continual reading - and sometimes we miss the connections in studying scripture the way we do. This passage of scripture comes right after Paul reminding the church in chapter five that they are to be ambassadors for Christ -  a representative of Christ who speaks of and acts for his mission in the world. Not our mission, Christ’s mission, bringing the message of God’s grace. 
Instead, we find that the Church in Corinth misused and misunderstood that mission in just about every way possible. They fought about who was the greatest. They treated some members of the body of Christ as better than others. They even mistreated Timothy when he came bearing Paul’s message to them. 
But before we find ourselves scolding the Corinthians - I have to ask, have we ever acted that way? Have we always act as if we have a common ministry or do we sometimes argue about who’s the greatest? Maybe we don’t use that exact terminology - but isn’t that what’s at the root of most church fights - about how we spend money, who gets what what space on the calendar, even around special traditions and worship services, as well as building choices - we want our preferences to win. We may truly stand firm in the belief that we want what is best for the church - but when we think of the Church as our brothers and sisters, these people around us, engaged in mission together - is our preference really what is best or is it simply just a preference? 
Then we run the risk of taking our preferences a bit further by using them to categorize people - you are either with me or against me. Perhaps that is why the Corinthians treated Timothy so badly - they say him as being with Paul and against them. We create sides instead of letting the Spirit leads, and the division deepens. 
Another way we can create further division is by judging our brothers and sisters, using ourselves as the measuring stick. Dietrich Bohnhoffer writes, “Self-justification and judging others go hand in hand”. When we think that we are better than someone else - we often let others know it by our words and actions. We speak poorly of one another. And guess what Church, that behavior is known by the outside community. The Corinthians let their tongues tear one another down - and it wasn’t just them - we find James writing to a community of believers about this problem as well. And when the tongue runs ramped - it leaks out to non-believers. We may think our judgments and dirty laundry stays in house - but it doesn’t. Why would anyone want to come and be part of a community that treats one another poorly? 
So what is the way for the Corinthians, and for us, to truly engage in the mission and ministry of being ambassadors for Jesus Christ? First, we give ourselves away through active service. Being part of this community, the Church, the body of Christ, is not so much about asserting ourselves and our preferences, as it is about serving others. And what better way to learn to serve others in the world than to learn to serve each other? Active service is all about looking for the opportunities that God puts in our path to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. 
When I was in college I was on the ministry council for my building - we planned way to encourage students and encourage relationships. One evening, we were planning a cookout next to the building. I set up and was preparing everything when I got a phone call from a friend in need. I just sat with her for the next several hours listening, as she poured her heart out to me. I remember that the RA overseeing the event was not pleased with my absence until I said that this is what encouraging students and encouraging relationships looks like - listening to a friend in need. Serving one another with the opportunities that God puts in our path, even if it doesn’t neatly fit into our schedules. 
We serve one another when we truly listen Church. Not just listen until we get our turn to speak to make our point known, but rather listening from the heart, as a sign that we are bearing one another’s burdens. 
Second, we recognize that we are all in this together. There is no one greater in the chain of ministry than another - we are all linked together. When we find ourselves judging others or judging a situation, take time to ask -  am I truly serving God to bring God honor and glory or is this about honoring myself? Because we cannot put ourselves above others when we serve by thinking ourselves better than them.
Brothers and sisters, the truth is somewhere in our church history we have probably acted like the Corinthians - arguing about anything and everything, because we lost sight of our true mission and purpose. We need to refocus on what it means to be the body of Christ. Christian community isn’t about holding preferences and interests in common - its about serving God and witnessing to our faith. Its about mutual charity and servant leadership. May we seek to be the body of Christ - brothers and sisters - serving one another and serving the world as we make disciples of Jesus Christ. Amen. 



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