3 Epiphany 2013

3 Epiphany 2013

There is an old joke that a camel is a race horse that was designed by committee. The idea here, of course, is that while the camel represents the combination of a lot of wonderful characteristics—it by no means looks like a race horse. In other words, there is no guarantee that a whole bunch of “good ideas” will all add up to one super-great idea…

Obviously the point of the joke is to point out how messy, and sometimes counter-productive the work of committees can be at times. This isn’t meant to be cynical (or offensive to camels), rather it accentuates how many different perspectives and ideas come together. In the case of the camel, it’s about ideas that come together to create something that looks nothing like a race horse…not even a dead one.

So without continuing to beat on a dead horse (sorry), I’d like to turn our attention to our Epistle reading for today—the first letter of St. Paul to the Church in Corinth.

Paul writes to the Church in Corinth explaining how a faith community—specifically those called Christ’s own—are supposed to function. To illustrate this point, Paul uses the extended metaphor of a body.

Basically, the point that he makes is that a body can only function to its fullest when all of its parts are engaged and participating. And because the body needs all of its parts, Paul makes it clear that no matter what the part—all are necessary. Also, unlike the camel, the Body of Christ has exactly what it needs to be what it is supposed to be…

This concept that Paul uses is most likely something that he borrowed from Disney Pixar films. In many of these films we find characters who don’t always seem to fit in, but later find their place. But there is also the affirmation that no matter what, we all have our particular role in the wider world.

It’s a pretty standard plot for all of their movies, and it works in a number of different genres.

The reason it works, of course, is because it’s something that we need to hear regularly. Because all of us experience times in life where we need to figure out our respective places. The problem is that Disney Pixar will continue to sell us this plot until we actually start to take it to heart and implement it into our lives.

The sad thing is that Paul was writing about this stuff in in the First Century…

So we may wonder what chance we have in succeeding where so many others have fallen short. But, if we don’t take a chance, we’ll never have the opportunity to become a statistic. Besides, I think we’re in a much better place than the Church in Corinth was in the First Century. More important, is the fact that we’re not sailing in uncharted territories—and as a denomination, we’re interested in learning from our culture as well as our mistakes.

The Thrive program that we’re involved in as a congregation is designed to help us to work and live as a more healthy and vital church.

By healthy, of course, we would include growth by outward numbers and growth of inward grace as indicators of health.

As for vital, I believe the measurement would be whether or not we as a congregation are essential to the lives of the people in it; and therefore necessary to the community in which we exist. What I mean by this is whether or not who we are and what we are actually matter to people’s lives.

Now, to be fair, none of us has the illusion that this program will answer ever problem, nor that it contains all things necessary to salvation. Honestly, there were some of us who approached this initiative with skepticism. After all there are any number of programs, books and outlines for how to be a “successful” church.

 But it’s this word ‘vital’ that I think is so very important. This is the word that sets this program apart for me. Because rather than offering a sure-fire way to get people through the doors of your church using contemporary worship songs, multimedia, or smoke machines—instead, the program guarantees us a chance to take a serious look at ourselves. What we’re being asked to do is see who we are—what parts we play in this congregation—and to do our best to try to understand how we are being called to express the Gospel of Christ through our particular tradition and in this particular time and place.

But the really amazing thing is that what we need has already been given to us. As a body, we’ve been given all of the parts that we need to operate as a healthy living being. And I believe that it is in being faithful to who we are, and true to our ministry in Lockport that we will naturally become the vital church we hope to be.

 The trick, however, is just getting all of the parts to understand that they need to work. We already know that each one of us is necessary—we just haven’t recognized that each of us have parts to play in the operation of a healthy body.

So, for those who feel like they’ve done as much as they can already, and are waiting for the next generation to step-up; now your job is to help find and form those people. For those who don’t feel that they have anything to offer; now your job is to pray and discern, and even ask people what you can do to contribute to the church. And for those who are content with coming to church on Sundays, and aren’t really interested in being involved; now you’re invited to pray for the life and ministry of your church.

The point is that however it’s all supposed to work out, what we can be certain of is that if we do nothing, we’ll be nothing. If we don’t grow, we die.

The Body of Christ is anything but a racehorse designed by committee. Instead, the Church is the Bride of Christ, redeemed by his blood, and called the children of God. So if we have all that we need to be who we are meant to be, and who we are is truly essential to the people of this world—why wouldn’t we try to take our places in the work?