Bound Together, Moving Forward; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; 1/26/25
Bound Together, Moving Forward
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Rev. Dr. Rhonda Abbott Blevins
January 26, 2025
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. 21 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.
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 deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work powerful deeds? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts.
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Why are you here? Seriously. Why are any of us here at church today?
Let’s face it:
· You didn’t come because we have the best coffee in town. Starbucks down the road has us beat by a mile.
· Now we have an awesome choir, but you could stay home, put on some headphones and listen to the greatest choirs on the planet: the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir or the Saint Olaf Choir or the Choir of Trinity Wall Street.
· And I know you didn’t come for the preaching. Maybe I shouldn’t confess this to you, but you can find way better preachers online any day of the week, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
Now, that hasn’t always been the case. Before the advent of recorded music, going to church was the only way to hear amazing choral music, or piano music or organ music for that matter. Before the advent of the television and later on the internet, you pretty much had to go to church to hear someone with a theology degree talk about the Bible or matters of faith. But all of that has changed. You don’t need church for good coffee, good music, and good preaching. So why are you here? Why are any of us here?
To play off a James Carville line, let me put it to you simply:
It’s the community, stupid.
Raise your hand if you agree with me?
The one thing that will never, can never be replicated online, is authentic, incarnational, embodied Christian community.
Now, I don’t want to discount how valuable online relationships can be—for some of us—online relationships were our lifeblood during the COVID pandemic shutdowns. But if you remember, so many of us were desperate to gather in community once more—to give and receive hugs—to sing like crazy. Yes, we held online church. The choir miraculously pieced together music; I preached to a dot on my iphone, uploaded forced sermons so that you could watch. But all of that, as hard as we worked, it paled in comparison to being together with one another in authentic, incarnational, embodied Christian community.
The Apostle Paul had some thoughts about what this kind of authentic, incarnational, embodied Christian community should look like. In his first letter to the church at Corinth, he was obviously addressing some issues within the church. There was apparently some conflict, some dissention, some disagreement about who was the most important or honorable among them.
To address this issue, Paul gives them a metaphor: the body of Christ. Paul compares the church, and in this case, the local church, to the human body (talk about incarnational!) “We’re part of one body” he insists. Then he goes on to make his point by way of some ridiculous anthropomorphisms . . . he imagines human body parts having the ability to speak to one another.
· How ridiculous, he insists, if the foot said: “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body!”
· How ridiculous if the ear said: “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body.”
· How ridiculous, he scoffs: “If the whole body were an eye?” How would we hear?
· How ridiculous, if the whole body were an ear? How would we smell?
· How ridiculous if the eye were to say to the hand: “I have no need of you!”
· How ridiculous if the eye were to say to the feet: “I have no need of you!”
Now that he’s got their (and our) attention, there are three main requirements—necessities for a church that wants to create authentic, incarnational, and embodied community. These are as relevant today as they were back in Paul’s time.
The first requirement is this: seek unity.
Paul writes: But God has so arranged the body . . . that there may be no dissension within the body. No, we’re not all the same. The foot has a different function than the eye. The eye has a different function than the ear. The ear has a different function that the hand. The different body parts look differently, function differently, even smell differently.
And so it is with the body of Christ. Yes, we have different roles. But no one among us is more or less important than another.
Occasionally, someone within the church will say to me, as the pastor, “This is your church.” I’ll inevitably push back on that, saying, “This is OUR church.” And to drive that point home a little more—remember when we (mostly) agreed that “It’s the community, stupid?” That you can find better preaching all day, every day online? It’s the community. If people are drawn to this church, it will be because they sense that something is special in this community. Decent preaching and an excellent choir . . . solid worship leading is merely the means to an end, but those of us on this makeshift chancel know . . . what matters most is what? Community. And NO ONE is more or less important when it comes to community.
Now, you know how I love to break down a word etymologically. (It’s a wonder I have any friends given how nerdy I am!) Let’s break down the word “community,” shall we?
· The prefix “com–” means “with.”
· The root word “–unity” means, er, “unity.”
Community is only community when it exists “with” “unity.”
So the first point Paul wants to make (and me as well) is this: seek unity. Always. In all things. Seek unity. Don’t seek uniformity. That’s a fool’s errand! There will always be difference among us—holy, beautiful, inspired difference. But we seek unity in our diversity. Always.
The next requirement for authentic, incarnational and embodied Christian community is this: express mutuality.
Paul goes on to teach his friends in Corinth about mutuality. Here’s how he writes about it to them in verse 26:
If one member suffers, all suffer together with it;
if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
In the wake of the hurricanes, our church has known both sorrow and resilience. We have felt the weight of loss—homes damaged, stability shaken, even beloved members relocating away from here. The storms left more than physical wreckage; they tested our spirits, our sense of security, and our hope. And yet, in the midst of it all, we have not suffered alone. Because, as Paul reminds us, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.” This is what it means to be the body of Christ—when one of us hurts, we all feel it. And on the flip side of the same coin of mutuality, when one of us finds joy, we all celebrate.
Through it all, we have witnessed the power of love in action. We have seen hands reaching out to clear debris, meals prepared for the weary, prayers lifted for the discouraged. In these moments of shared strength, we have found glimpses of God’s grace—evidence that even in hardship, we are not abandoned. We have encouraged one another, stood together, and begun the work of rebuilding, not just our buildings but our faith, our hope, and our future. And so, as we gather today, we remember that we are bound together, not just by shared struggle but by a love that refuses to let go.
That’s what it takes to create authentic, incarnational, embodied Christian community. With our hands, with our feet, with our hearts, and yes, with our words, we . . . express mutuality.
Finally, Paul closes this part of his letter reminding his friends at Corinth they each of them has a part to play—a role to fill—a gift to use as they work to build authentic, incarnational, embodied Christian community. This is the work of . . . shared responsibility.
Paul names roles, titles, and gifts within the church at that time: apostles, prophets, teachers, those who could perform deeds of power, those with gifts of healing, those naturally equipped for service, leadership, as well as both speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues.
In other words, it takes each of us using our God-given gifts to create authentic, incarnational, embodied Christian community.
Imagine going to a football game—maybe your favorite team is playing. You find your seat, grab some snacks, and settle in to watch. The players on the field are giving it everything they’ve got—running plays, taking hits, pushing forward. Meanwhile, the crowd watches, cheers, maybe even yells at the refs. But at the end of the day, it’s the players on the field who are doing the work, while the spectators just observe.
Sometimes, we treat church the same way. We show up on Sundays, sing the songs, listen to the sermon, and then go home, thinking we’ve “attended” church. But Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12 that church isn’t a spectator sport—it’s a team effort. We are the body of Christ, which means every person has a role, a purpose, and a gift to bring. If one person tries to do it all while the rest just watch, the body can’t function the way it’s meant to. The church isn’t about sitting in the stands; it’s about stepping onto the field, getting involved, supporting one another, and using the gifts God has given us.
So the question is—are we in the game, or just watching from the sidelines? In authentic, incarnational, embodied Christian community, we share responsibility.
So that’s the big three!
· Seek unity.
· Express mutuality.
· Share responsibility.
As you already know, our sanctuary renovation will soon be complete. I am so eager for that day! It will be exciting to celebrate the fresh paint, the polished floors, new and refurbished stained-glass windows, a new (to us) pipe organ. But let’s be honest—there are better places for coffee. There are choirs with a hundred or more voices. You can find world-class preaching with a few clicks online. And let’s face it, there are church buildings far grander than ours will ever be. But none of that is why we’re here. Because, at the end of the day, it’s the community, stupid.
The church isn’t a building—it’s a people. A body. And if we are going to be an authentic, incarnational, embodied community of Christ, then we must commit to three things: seeking unity, expressing mutuality, and sharing responsibility.
Chapel, so many churches in our country are struggling to stay afloat. That’s not true here. There’s a vibrancy, an energy, a holy alchemy that no one could manufacture and sell. And the reason why? It’s Y-O-U.
So as we move forward into a future that is bright and ripe with possibility, I invite you to recommit yourselves to three things . . . the recipe for authentic, incarnational, embodied Christian community:
· Seek unity. Not uniformity! No, relish the holy differences among us. But seek unity. Always. In everything. Seek unity.
· Express mutuality. Share one another’s burdens. Celebrate each other’s joys. Care for one another through love in action.
· Share responsibility. Everybody’s got a part to play. Play your part the best way you can. Whether it’s praying or giving or getting involved. Authentic, incarnational, embodied Christian community only happens when everyone plays their part.
Because, let’s face it:
It’s the community, stupid.