It Takes All of Us

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  January 26, 2025

Click here to listen to the service 

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12 – 31 (NIV)
 
Before we take a look at our New Testament lesson this morning, I want to say that this passage from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is part of the Lectionary for today.  It is not a passage that I simply picked as a response to events of the past week.  However, it is a passage that I truly believe was ordained for us to reflect upon in light of recent events.
 
Just to be clear, the sermon this morning was not crafted to make a political statement; however, it would not surprise me if some might hear it as such.
 
No, the sermon this morning comes from the heart of someone who is trying to make sense of the senseless... someone who is trying to understand what is happening in the world around us... right before our very eyes.
 
Over the course of the past week, I learned of colleagues that work in diversity, equity, and inclusion, who were laid off from their jobs in essence because they were advocates for helping those who have systematically been pushed to the margins... those who have been categorized as undesirable simply because of their racial or ethnic background, who they love, or how they identify themselves... those who have historically received the short end of the stick because they cannot measure up to seemingly arbitrary standards that have been put in place to ensure they cannot succeed.
 
I also heard stories about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting more than 500 people... some with children and families.  And while the claim is that these are just typical arrests and not part of the promised mass deportation raids... there is no doubt that there are people in our communities that are living in fear of being taken from the only home that some of them have ever known.
 
And that is what was at the heart of a sermon that made headlines this past week... a sermon that was given by Bishop Mariann Budde at the prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral... a sermon that she said was meant to be a call for unity... and an end to the divisiveness that has become so prevalent.
 
Her words, in and of themselves, probably would not have caused that much of a stir had it not been for the audience to whom they were addressed.  In fact, her call for mercy is not so unlike what we read about throughout the Bible that we hold so sacred... even as it calls to mind the command of Jesus to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
 
In the portion of her sermon that has garnered so much attention, both positive and negative, Bishop Budde said:

In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals.
 
They…may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people. Good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen

Who would have thought a plea for mercy would have become so controversial...
 
After all, in the Old Testament we read these words of the Prophet Micah (6:8), “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
 
While in the New Testament, we find these words that were spoken by Jesus, Himelf, to a group of religious leaders whose priorities were clearly out of place:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

But perhaps it is not only the religious leaders that Jesus addressed who had their priorities out of order...
 
Sadly, we are living in a day and time when wanting to right the wrongs of the past in order to protect people from further hurt, harm, and danger is something to be feared rather than admired... when showing care and concern for others and wanting what is best for them is seen as a sign of weakness instead of strength... when holding the belief that we are all in this together has become the exception instead of the rule.
 
But this morning’s New Testament lesson from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians challenges us to think differently... to see that IT TAKES ALL OF US working together so that we can be all of who God has called us to be.
 
I want to invite us to listen to some of passages from the text again; however, this time, I want to share them as they appear in the Message Paraphrase. 
 
Starting with verses 12 through 14, we read:

You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.   I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.

And in verses 18 through 20 we read:

As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.   But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of.

 In other words... IT TAKES ALL OF US... we simply cannot function without one another, which is why in the next verses we read:

An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

And while Paul makes reference to the parts of one’s physical body... it is the church as the body of believers that is the true focus of his message as we see in the next verses where we read:

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.   You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything.

And then after describing some of the “parts” we may play within the church, Paul goes on to say:

But it’s obvious by now, isn’t it, that Christ’s church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part? It’s not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some of you keep competing for so-called “important” parts.  But now I want to lay out a far better way for you.

Now at the risk of being redundant... let me say it again... IT TAKES ALL OF US.
 
So, what exactly is the better way that Paul says he wants to lay out?  It is found in the chapter that follows our text for today... 1 Corinthians 13, which is also known as the love chapter.
 
While our physical body is held together by muscles, sinews, tissues and the like... it is love that holds the body of believers together. 
 
Looking at John 13 (34 – 35) we read, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
 
It is always has been and always will be all about love.
 
That is what Paul explained to the Roman church when he wrote (13:8 – 10):

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.  The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Let that last part sink in for just a moment... “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
 
Love is what identifies us as disciples of Christ... as followers of Jesus.
 
Love does no harm to a neighbor... you know, like Jesus illustrated when He told the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
 
Love literally fulfills the law... it is what all the other commandments in the Bible hinge upon... love for God and love for the people of God.
 
As you may have heard me say in the not-too-distant past... it’s not exactly rocket science... we have been called to love by the One whose very essence is love.
 
All we have to do is look at 1 John 4:8 where we read, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
 
God is love... period full stop.
 
And what is so amazing is that God loves you, me, and the whole wide world...
 
In fact, as we see in John 3 (16), God loves us all so much that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.
 
And if we were read further in John’s Gospel, to chapter 17, we would come to Jesus’ prayer:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— (John 17:21 – 22).

What do you know... a prayer for unity... for us to be one... I guess it’s not such a farfetched idea after all... it really does TAKE ALL OF US to be the church that God desires for us to be... the church that is built upon the sure foundation with Jesus Christ as the Chief Cornerstone.
 
And with that thought in mind, let us stand now and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: The Church's One Foundation (vs 1, 2, 5) #272.
 

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