Do Unto Others (With Respect). 1 Corinthians 12:1-26. 11/10/24.
Do Unto Others (With Respect)
1 Corinthians 12:1-26
Rev. Dr. Rhonda Blevins
November 10, 2024
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were gentiles you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of powerful deeds, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect, whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
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Pop quiz! Last week we studied a teaching from the book of Micah in which the prophet wrote that God requires three things and three things only from us. Three actions—three ways in which we are to live and move and have our being. What are those three things that God requires of us according to Micah 6:8? (Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God.)
Today’s homily builds off the third of those three requirements for right living: walk humbly.
As we continue on with our “Do Unto Others” theme, our focus today is thinking about the role that respect plays as we live out this golden rule. Building off last week, I want to suggest that genuine respect is only possible if humility—walking “humbly with God”—is a way of life.
To get started, I think it would be helpful to consider the etymology of the word “respect.” The prefix “re-” means “back” or “again.” “Spect” is the same root word as “spectacle.” It means to “see” or “observe.” So “respect,” quite literally means to “see again.”
This Sunday is a good day to consider the importance of respect as a vital element of the Golden Rule as our country is coming off our every-four-year vitriol fest. Politics and media influencers gin up every ounce of hate and fear they possibly can in order to garner votes for their candidate, and in so doing, they create a culture of animosity and disrespect in the populace, which is us.
And I must say, as a pastor, it’s no small challenge to hold together a congregation like ours in the midst of all this vitriol—a congregation with a good many “red” folks and a good many “blue” folks. During election years, I kind of envy pastors who serve politically monolithic congregations. But that’s not our church, nor would I ever want it to be. Those politically monolithic churches don’t have what we have in that we get to be with people who think and therefore vote differently than us. It’s a beautiful, albeit challenging, tension to hold.
What is the recipe for holding together a politically diverse congregation? (Sing it Aretha Franklin!) R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Let me illustrate by telling a story of two friends, pillars of the same church: Paul and Jeremy.
Paul is a republican who voted for Trump. Jeremy is a democrat who voted for Harris. Paul is happy, elated even, with the results of the election. Jeremy, on the other hand is sad, terrified even, with the results of the election and what it might mean for the country.
Paul doesn’t get why Jeremy would vote for Harris. He’s judged Jeremy for his political leanings. Jeremy doesn’t get why Paul would vote for Trump. He’s judged Paul for his politics as well. Both men value their friendship, and both have spoken to their pastor, Ron, about the other. “I like Jeremy, but I can’t agree with his politics,” said Paul. Jeremy said something similar.
Ron, the wise pastor, helped both men see that different life experiences led to different understandings about the world which led to different political leanings. “Paul’s life experiences were different than yours,” he said to Jeremy. “Because of that, he views the world differently than you.” “Jeremy’s life experiences were different than yours,” he said to Paul. “Because of that, he sees things differently than you.” The pastor led each man to “re-see” the other. He helped them see their friend in new light and with new understanding. He helped each man respect the other despite their different political viewpoints.
The Golden Rule—doing unto others as we would have others do unto us—does not mean we have to agree with others. It does mean, we find a way to respect others, even when we don’t agree with or understand choices and decisions the other person makes.
Which brings me to our scripture lesson today—a section of a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.
Now, the church at Corinth was a hot mess when Paul wrote to them. Within the congregation, there were all of these amazing spiritual gifts, but instead of pulling together, they started playing a little game of “my gift’s better than your gift.” Some folks thought they were special because they could speak in tongues, so they started looking down on those who didn’t have the gift of tongues. The whole church was becoming divided, with people ranking themselves and judging one another.
So Paul, in his wise, no-nonsense way, writes to remind them that every gift matters. He says, “Look, the Holy Spirit gave each of you something unique—not so you could show off, but so you could work together!” He uses this picture of a body to drive it home. Just like our body needs hands, feet, eyes, and ears, the church needs all kinds of gifts to be healthy. If everyone was an eye, how would we hear? If everyone was a foot, who would do the seeing?
Paul wanted them to see that God put every single one of them there for a reason. There’s no such thing as a small gift, and there’s no such thing as an unimportant member. The quieter gifts are just as crucial as the louder ones. So Paul’s message to them, and to us, is simple: stop comparing, stop judging, and start respecting each other! We’re all in this together, and every one of us brings something precious to the table.
I’ve been thinking about hurricanes a lot lately. Maybe you have as well. One of the things I’ve been thinking about is why some trees topple over in the strong winds while other trees stand tall. I wanted to learn a little more about the root systems of trees that stand tall through hurricane force winds, and I ran across a story about the live oak trees in New Orleans that withstood Hurricane Katrina.
If you’ve ever been to New Orleans, you’ve likely taken a stroll down St. Charles Street. Think: grand old mansions, the iconic St. Charles streetcar, a Mardi Gras parade rolling down the street. One of the features of St. Charles Street is the 700 live oak trees lining the street.
Now you would imagine that many of these gorgeous trees would have toppled during the 125 mile per hour winds of Hurricane Katrina. Out of 700 live oak trees along St. Charles Street, you want to know how many of them met their end during the hurricane? Only four!
How did 696 live oak trees on St. Charles Street survive Hurricane Katrina? Three reasons:
1. Flexibility. Live oak trees have a spiral trunk and spiral branches, enabling them to bend and flex in the gale force winds.
2. Self-Care. The leaves of a live oak are normally quite flat, to soak up the sun’s rays for the process of photosynthesis. But during high winds, the leaves curl up in a way that creates less friction, which helps the tree maintain more leaves than it would if the leaves stayed flat.
3. Interconnectedness. The roots of live oak trees planted near one another interconnect with one another. So, when the winds hit, it hits a community of trees, giving them greater power to stand together against the storm.
The live oaks of St. Charles Street give us a beautiful metaphor to think about when facing life’s storms, both literal and figurative.
1. Flexibility. Life is full of ups and downs. The next challenge is always right around the corner. The next disappointment, around the next bend. How can we be resilient and stand tall through life’s storms? We must be flexible. We must learn to bend without breaking. Roll with life’s many punches. Flexibility.
2. Self-Care. When life’s winds are too much, there is nothing wrong with curling up and protecting yourself. There will be plenty of sunny days ahead to stretch out in the sun, but there are times when we need to retreat and tend to our own needs. What does the flight attendant say about oxygen masks? Put yours on first before helping someone else.
3. Interconnectedness. Like the roots of the live oaks on St. Charles Street, we are stronger when we stand together. Yes, our lives will take different shapes and forms, like the branches of the majestic oaks, but we know that under the surface, our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ connects us. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” In times of challenge and hardship, we return to these holy, mysterious roots, and find ourselves stronger in doing so.
This interconnectedness is only obtained in a community based on mutual respect. Believing the best in one another, even when we don’t understand or disagree. This respect is borne of the humility God requires from us.
Like the people in the church at Corinth, we must learn to value difference. To use the old axiom, “Variety is the spice of life?” And I, for one, love my “spicy” church.
The Golden Rule. You probably learned it in kindergarten: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” So easy a child can understand. So, challenging a grown up needs reminding.
Here at the Chapel, we are a “Do Unto Others” congregation, marked by ongoing, relentless kindness, compassion, and humility. And when we disagree, when we don’t understand, we work to “re-see”—to “see again.” It’s one of our core commitments:
We respect the beliefs and experiences of others.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Sock it to me, Chapel!