THE KIRK OF KILDAIRE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

CARY, NC

www.kirkofkildaire.org

A sermon preached by Joseph Welker, Jr.

Seeking the Common Good

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

January 14, 2007

Before they were collected, copied and bound-or even there was a book called the New Testament put in a larger book called the Holy Bible-the letters of Paul were just that: letters. Had Paul been living in our time, he might well have communicated not only by letter but by email, blog and even a personal website. And the members of the church might do the same-posting questions for Paul to answer.

What we have here are letters from traveling pastor who is starting new congregations- congregations that kind of look like the Kirk to me. They are a young, gifted, and very diverse congregation. It's a growing congregation. Many visitors checking it out.

And look who is coming! In this congregation are Jews and Greeks… mixing together… including a clash of culture I'm sure. Christians who grew up Jewish and are steeped into the tradition and practices that gave birth to Christianity… Many still are practicing Jews who go to the synagogue.

Many of them, however, did not grow up Jewish, or in a family of the faith of Jesus. They are Greeks and gentiles by heritage. This faith is very new to them. They hear that Jesus was a Jew… in the new member class they were told how Jesus was a Jewish messiah as anticipated by Isaiah-whoever that was and whatever that means. They had a lot to learn about being a Christian.

It had to be sort of interesting in that congregation. Jewish Christians did not eat certain foods-no eastern NC Barbeque for them thank you. They were circumcised. Gentile Christians would eat anything-pass the barbeque-even food offered to idols. Circumcision? Why would you need to be circumcised?

If you like a culturally and ethnically rich and diverse congregation, you would like being a part of the Church at Corinth.

Which is why they remind me of the Kirk. We are a lot like them at the Kirk, don't you think. We are a gathering of people from New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, California, Florida… South Africa, Ethiopia, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Chile… Each person bringing some customs along with them.

Who ever heard of Enjura bread from Ethiopia until my friend Endalkachew introduced it to me. And Cincinati Chili? Who knew that chili came with spaghetti noodles? Recently I was introduced to African Red Tea by Marietje Wessels. I love it. I just hope our northern brothers and sisters have gotten used to grits and sweet tea. I bet some of you haven't even been to a Pig Pickin'!

I love the diversity of the Kirk. Most churches I know have just one kind of people: White, Southern and middle to upper class.

And I bet Paul loved the richness and diversity of the church at Corinth.

I also wonder if Paul was surprised at the kind of people responding to the gospel. Not only ethnically and racially diverse… but economically diverse. It is clear that there were both rich and poor members of this church. Some lived in wealth… some lived on the edge of poverty… day to day. Amazingly people from all walks of life are responding to the message of the gospel. Martin Luther King Jr. would have liked the Corinthian church.

I bet Paul did. What better witness to Christ than to be a place where a diverse group of people who normally wouldn't be seen with each other in public-gather as people of one faith. Worshipping, eating meals, learning and growing together. Becoming family to each other.

But if Paul liked the diversity… he soon learned that diversity comes at a price. Along with diversity comes potential conflict. People have a way of bringing to church with them ideas, ways of thinking, traditions that come from their background and experience. It is not my experience that people leave their past or identities at the door to the sanctuary.

Paul must have known and if he did not know, he would soon learn, that along with diversity comes potential conflict and lots of questions. The Corinthians were full of questions. Questions likely born out of a time of tension or crisis in that congregation. I'm guessing the diversity is straining their fellowship. It could divide them. So, they have written a letter… or likely several letters to Paul asking for his wisdom and advice on matters important to them.

I sort of feel for them. In these early years of the church, they don't have the resources we have to deal with our questions.They didn't have a New Testament to follow. They didn't even have the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John to read. What would Jesus do? The gospel weren't written yet to tell them.

There was no denomination to give them a Book of Order or Manual of Operations. No 2000 years of church history with Augustine, Calvin or Luther-- any Christian spiritual giants to guide them.

All they had was Paul. And the pressure was on Paul to guide them through these perilous waters… as they ask him some very difficult questions that are causing tension. We are still asking some of them: Questions about marriage, divorce, litigation, leadership of women, order of worship, style of worship, the nature of a resurrected body… We're still debating some of these in the church today. The question that Paul is addressing with the Corinthians is some question about spiritual gifts… apparently some people in the church are beginning to think that the gift they offer is more important than other gifts.

Can you believe people acting like that in church?

Sometimes I wish Paul were around today so we could write a letter of our own. We might ask him about war, race relations, how to deal faithfully with wealth, questions about poverty, human sexuality, the environment. We might even ask him to revisit the divorce issue since we seem to have moved away from his position.

I wonder what Paul might say to us today if he were around to look at how we deal with our issues and our conflicts. I wonder if he would be surprised to find us still dealing with much of the same stuff he dealt with 2000 years ago. I wonder what he might say to denominations still divided over roles of women, over baptism and the Lord's supper.

He might be pleased with how we finally worked through the slavery issue. I think he would be pleased to see women regain leadership roles. He might mention that some of his key leaders in ministry were important to the growth of the early church-people like Priscilla in Corinth.

I doubt he would be surprised that we are having difficulty dealing with some new controversial issues of our day that he likely never really imagined - like human sexuality. I doubt Paul would be surprised by the tension in the church over these issues. He might say, "been there, done that."

But I think what Paul would want to know is this: How are you going to deal with the differences?

Paul shows the way, providing us an example, as he deals with the issue of spiritual gifts in Corinth. Did you hear how he handled it? What he said? "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… "

Same spirit. Same Lord. Same God.

For the common good. For the common good.

That line jumped out at me when I read the text this week. Paul knows that our diversity is our strength when it works for the common good. God gave them different gifts so that the whole church could be blessed. It was a wise word for people living through tense times. A word to help them see the purpose of their gifts… to keep them in perspective.

Today we are ordaining and installing another group of leaders you have elected to serve on the Session. And we are blessed. As our young congregation grows and welcomes new people from everywhere- bringing with them all sorts of gifts and questions… we will need them to lead us like Paul… we will need grace, love and understanding from them. We will need them to care about the church and the common good above all. We will need our leaders to help us see our diversity as the strength we have been given to be used for the good of the Kirk, for the work of ministry.They are likely to deal with some difficult issues in the year and years to come. Why should they be exempt? As we enter our Long Range Planning conversations this year, there are likely to be different visions and passions shared for the Kirk. In all of this, we will need them to keep the good of the Kirk first and foremost in their hearts and minds.

We need leaders who care about the church and who will help us approach the difficult issues of our day as Paul did: with grace, love and wisdom that perhaps only the Holy Spirit can bring. So pray for them. I mean it. Pray for them. They will need your support. Leading is never easy.

A couple of weeks ago we honored someone who gave us a good example of how to lead. Gerald Ford. I remember when he came into office during some of the most difficult days our nation has faced in my lifetime. He will likely be known as one who helped to heal a disillusioned and divided nation.

I was struck by how the people who knew him best described him. Veteran newsman Bob Schieffer kept saying that he was the nicest man he met in politics. Others talked about his wisdom and his integrity. Stories were told about his friendship with democrats like Tip O'Neil and others. George McGovern even confessed that he voted for Gerald Ford in 1976.

One of the things he seemed to do well was to put our nation first and people first above all other loyalties. He knew the common good was more important than anything else.

At his funeral in Grand Rapids, Jimmy Carter spoke about the man who grew to be his very close friend. He recalled the common faith in Jesus Christ that he and Ford shared. One a Baptist. One a faithful Episcopalian.

Carter said, "It is true, that Gerry and I shared a common religious faith. Not just worshipping the same savior. But in attempting in our own personal way to achieve reconciliation within our respective denominations. We took to heart the admonition of the apostle Paul- that Christians should not be divided over seemingly important but tangential issues including sexual preferences and the role of women in the church and things like that. We both felt that Episcopalians and Baptists and others should live together in harmony within the adequate and common belief that we are saved by the grace of God through our faith in Jesus Christ."

I thank God for people like Ford and Carter and Paul. They are people of faith who can show us the way… the way to lead… the way to live together and the way to love God and one another. They knew that what really matters most is that we are in it together… following one Lord who seeks our common good for the sake of the gospel and the good of the world. Amen.