Sunday, January 23, 2017: "Beyond our Differences" Fr. Carey Stone



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Epiphany 3A ‘17
22 January 2017
I Corinthians 1.10-18
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
North Little Rock, Arkansas
The Rev. Carey Stone
 
O god whose unity is revealed in three persons: Guide your diverse people to the only lasting unity, which is in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 
Parishioners on the sixth row on the right hand side of the nave usually get a blessing from being in church but on those Sundays when it rains they could end up getting a double blessing by getting ‘re-baptized’ with rainwater that comes down in the spot. We have had the roofers out this week trying once again to get the chronic leak fixed. The goal is to keep the storm outside the church.
 
It is no accident that through centuries of tradition the portion of the church where the people sit has been called the nave. It is the Latin word that the English word navy comes from. The shape of many naves across the world is of an upside down ship. Like Noah’s ark, the church has meant to be a safe haven from the storms of life that surround it on all sides and that is exactly what a church is when it’s at its best. 
 
Noted spiritual writer Frederick Buechner in his book Whistling in the Dark, in a humorous way compares the church to Noah’s ark and gives a description of what we might find inside: “Just about everything imaginable is on board, the clean and the unclean…the predators and the prey, the wild and the tame, the sleek and beautiful ones and the ones that are ugly as sin…There are the catty and the piggish and the peacock proud. There are hawks and doves. Some are wise as owls, some silly as geese; some meek as lambs and others fire-breathing dragons. There are times when they all cackle together and grunt and roar and sing together, and there are times when you could hear a pin drop…It’s not all enjoyable. There’s backbiting just like everywhere else. There’s a pecking order. There’s growling and grousing…It’s a regular menagerie in there…But even at it’s worst, there’s at least one thing that makes it bearable within, and that is the storm without…And at it’s best there is, if never clear sailing, shelter from the blast, a sense of somehow heading in the right direction in spite of everything, a ship to keep afloat, and, like a beacon in the dark, the hope of finding safe harbor.”  
 
The church is a very human institution filled with all kinds of folks who are all over the map politically, economically, and in many other ways; but what a blessing our diversity is. Thank God everyone doesn’t think like me, or have the same likes or dislikes or have the same gifts. What a beautiful thing indeed when all of the broken pieces that make up the body of Christ come together in concert for God’s purpose and glory. 
 
The Corinthian church had missed the boat by taking their eyes off of the mission of Christ and got their focus on each other’s differences and the apostle in his letter was calling them back on mission: “I appeal to you brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” What might that same mind and purpose be, well our forebears have already done our homework for us, if you would turn in your prayer books to p. 855. Let’s read this responsively, I’ll read the question and with the congregation reading the answers: 
Q. What is the mission of the Church?
A. The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity   
    with God and each other in Christ.
 
Q. How does the Church pursue its mission?
A. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, 
     Proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and
     Love.
 
Q. Through whom does the Church carry out its mission?
A.  The Church carries out its mission through the ministry
      of all its members.
 
Our purpose is to restore all people to unity with God and each other In Christ. The church’s purpose hasn’t changed in 2000 years. People all around us are experiencing the absence of unity with God and their neighbors and it’s because true unity is not ever going to be found through partisan politics. In Christ alone can we see beyond our differences and find a paradigm that transcends all the strife and division and it is called “the way of the cross.” 
 
Again St. Paul writes, “I’ve come to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.” The cross is not an egocentric message but a Christocentric message. The Christian life simply doesn’t work very well when our egos keep trying to run the show. The way of the cross is the way of surrender and says, “not my will but they will be done.” You know I don’t always feel like praying, I don’t always feel like giving time and treasure, I don’t always feel like coming to church but not my will but they will be done. The mission to restore all people to unity with God and each other through Christ will take all of us as we pray, worship, share the good news with those around us.
 
I believe the Episcopal Church is uniquely positioned in the days and months ahead to be a ship that will weather any storm. In the little book 101 Reasons to be an Episcopalian compiled by Louie Crew there are some good things worth remembering and sharing:
The Episcopal Church at its best does good deeds to increase understanding of God, not out of fear or to earn admission to heaven.
 
The EC at its best isn’t just a checkbook ministry; we roll up our sleeves and help.
 
The EC at its best, allows you to come in without leaving your brain at the door and then have the opportunity to love all of those who managed to come in with their ‘wrong’ ideas. It’s a safe place where we can respectfully disagree about a great many things – and still break bread together. The ground is level at the altar rail.
 
The Episcopal Church at its best, “[though] its liturgy, its poetry, its music and its life can create a world of wonder in which it is very easy to fall in love with God.” Maybe that’s what a lot of people outside these walls need because it’s what we need - to fall in love with God all over again and then share it with someone else! Amen!