Father Mike Kerrick

The Body of Christ
August 24th 2008

The Body of Christ

St. Paul is often referred to as the architect of our Christian theology and in particular Protestant theology. In our first reading for the day we hear St. Paul use the classic “body” description for illustrating how we as a community based in Christ function. Of course I think it would be prudent to look at what Paul was doing in this writing to get a better grasp of what he hoped to accomplish. Context will give us a clue.
Paul’s letter to the Romans was written as a precursor to a visit by Paul. His intent was to use the congregation in Rome as a jumping off place for an evangelistic journey to Spain. It was paramount that this community be united. It was the largest congregation of the time, it was located the farthest west of any Christ believing community, and it was in the center of power for the Roman Empire. There was however a slight problem. The people within this congregation were anything but united. As a matter of fact, they hated each other guts. There was a deep split between the Jews and the gentiles. A split that was so deep that the very survival of the congregation was in doubt. Paul in this letter is trying to pull this community together despite their deep cultural differences. I want you to note that I used the words “cultural differences” rather than theological differences. Paul as you know was known as the apostle to the gentiles. But he was also the apostle to Jews outside of Israel. When he preached the Gospel in his journeys he didn’t make any distinction between Jews and Gentiles in terms of the theology involved but of course there were cultural differences and he did note those. It is also very important to note that the Mediterranean culture of Paul’s time was acutely aware of social status. It was an honor/shame society. Where one stood in relationship to others within the social ladder of the community was very important. This community was deeply divided and now Paul was going to attempt to heal those differences through one of history’s greatest pieces of literary argument. He brilliantly sets in motion a series of rhetorical questions he poses to both the Jews and Gentiles. He builds them up to a position of superiority over their perceived rivals and he does it smoothly and with logic. Just when each group is feeling smug he rips them to shreds with the hypocrisy of their actions. Chapters 1 through 11 of Romans is a series of questions and answers designed to level the playing field between rivals and St. Paul accomplishes his task masterfully. Nobody emerges from chapters 1 through 11 unscathed. All are bloodied and battered and have come face to face with the fact that none of them are worthy by their own accord. They are justified by faith, not by cultural superiority, not by theological superiority, not by power, not by wealth, not even because God had chosen them as his anointed people at one point in time. Paul poses the proposition in Romans 11:29, “Does God change his mind and abandon his promises? And answers, “NO”, God does not abandon his promises”-meaning to me that God is capable of having and honoring more than one covenant. Many within the Christian community have asserted over the years the premise of what Theologian Luke Timothy Johnson has come to call “supersessionism”. It is simply the notion that Christianity has received the mantel of God’s chosen people from the Israelites because they did not embrace Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God’s prophecies. Paul addresses the issue in Romans 11 when he argues that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the prophecies and that we are justified by our faith in Christ. But he also acknowledges that God has chosen the Israelites as his chosen people. Is this an either/or proposition? Must God honor his first covenant or is Christianity the New Jerusalem? Paul throws his hands up and finally says in effect, “God will do what God pleases and we will just have to live with God’s decision”.
It always seemed to me God was not particularly concerned about whether we got our doctrine right or not. The issue has always been one of faith-were we faithful? Paul addresses this when he engages in the illustration of the Body of Christ. Paul doesn’t talk about doctrine or right belief. Paul is telling the Romans they need not think too highly of themselves but to get down to the business of doing God’s work right here, right now. So, he tells them they have been endowed by their creator with Gifts. It is up to them to determine their gifts and then utilize them to complete the Body of Christ. To make Christ a complete, whole functioning body capable of bring about God’s kingdom in this world.
Several weeks ago 600 Anglican Bishop’s gathered in Lamabeth Palace in London. This gathering of the Anglican leaders occurs once every ten years. It has traditionally been a method for determining what the large missions will be for the 77 million people worldwide who describe themselves as Christians and Anglicans. However, since 2003 and the election of Gene Robinson as the Bishop of New Hampshire, a openly gay man involved in a committed long term relationship, the issue has been on sex. Actually, it has been on how we interpret scripture. Those who are conservative reject the proposition that a gay person can be a bishop in God’s church. They believe persons who engage in homosexual acts are choosing a lifestyle in opposition to God’s will.
Liberals on the other hand will tell you that people who are homosexual are not so by choice but are created homosexual just as others are created heterosexual. They are as much God’s creation as anybody else and deserve no less consideration.
Neither one of these political camps has shown any willingness to modify their positions. Moderates have tried to placate both sides of the issue and “Unity” has become their new golden idol. I would like to suggest that our 600 bishops return to Romans and see what the body of Christ is supposed to do. We are to be the complete whole body of Christ to bring about God’s kingdom in this world. That does not mean we are to impose our cultural or political values on others who don’t see the world in exactly the same fashion as we do. The millennium development goals are about how we as God’s people can collectively eliminate poverty, disease, and care for God’s creation our earth. This is God’s work, this is God’s kingdom. I suspect that one day we will all stand before God and have to account for what we done and left undone. I believe that those who tell God they upheld his doctrine might get asked this question-how many of my children were saved from starvation, or from disease, or violence by doctrine? How many hunger people were fed by doctrine? How many were clothed by doctrine? How many died because you spent God’s resources on upholding your doctrine? Our Anglican bishops just spent upwards of 4.5 million dollars in just registration fees for the Lamabeth conference. I would venture a guess those are questions they didn’t ask themselves or other bishop’s at the conference. Can we reasonably expect either the conservatives or the liberals to modify their respective positions? I don’t think so. I don’t believe their salvation rests on proper doctrine but on their faith. I have no doubt about either side’s faith. I know many deeply committed people on both sides of the issue and I stand firmly on the liberal side in this case and I make no apologies for my stance. I don’t know any conservatives or liberals who are self proclaimed Christians that doubt that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. It is time we put away our political and cultural differences and start making a qualitative difference in people’s lives in the world. Ask the mother of a child starving to death whether she cares about doctrine?
Doctrine, my friends, is the luxury of a full stomach, clothes on your back and a roof over your head. We would do well to remember that as we proclaim the Gospel. It is a Gospel of faith not of doctrine. It is a Gospel of service to others, as Jesus said, “I have come to serve not to be served”. It is a Gospel reflecting the love of God for his people in the mission we do in his behalf.
Just as Christ asked the disciples in today’s Gospel, “But who do you say that I am?”, I ask you a similar question, “Who do they say we are?”I am hopeful the response will be, “They are the body of Christ” Amen




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