Week of Prayer for Christian Unity |
Worship Service Celebrating Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Sermon: Is Christ Divided?
Date: Sat., Jan. 18, 2014
Place: Assumption Catholic Church, Lethbridge, AB
Scripture: 1 Cor. 1:1-17
Rev. Ruth Preston Schilk
Here we are, such a diverse group meeting for worship and to pray for Christian unity – Presbyterian, Baptist, Salvation Army, Catholic, Anglican, Mennonite, Lutheran. Isn’t it great that in heaven, we’ll all be...U/united?!
Here on this side of heaven, there remains room to strive toward greater Christian unity. The reason we gather today, and the main reason to engage in communal prayer for unity is simply because God has invited us to it. And in particular, Jesus himself modelled praying for unity as he prayed not only on behalf of his disciples, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Him (that’s us)..., that they may all be one. As you, Father, 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” (Jn. 17:21).
The consequence of unity is God’s blessing:
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore. Psalm 133:1-3
My very first Bible was one with some coloured illustrations. One of the pictures was of a Bible character being anointed with oil, and it really was running down from the head to the collar. I remember one of my first thoughts upon seeing that picture was “Yuck! That looks messy!” And so it is with God’s blessing. It’s often messy, but it sticks like oil. There’s a permanency about it. Likewise, striving toward unity is worth the messiness – and the blessing.
The apostle Paul puts before us all, the difficult question of 1 Corinthians 1:13, ‘Has Christ Been Divided?’ Paul is speaking rhetorically, challenging the early church in Corinth and very much challenging us about the divisions in the Body of Christ, the church.
Thank God the Bible records the struggles of a divided church, (namely the Corinthian church), its call to unity, and the healing challenge and encouragement that Paul’s letter offers to the brokenness of that local “body of Christ.” Thank God, not because that congregation went through pain and we can be voyeurs as we read this letter, but because our own “body of Christ” in this time and place may be ministered to by their experience and drawn to greater unity and fellowship.
The factionalism in the Corinthian church was fuelled by arrogance and boasting about their respective leaders (3:21-22; 4:6,7,18,19). How easy it is to try to elevate ourselves and our denomination or congregation and its leaders – by criticizing another. Claiming spiritual superiority, combined with putting down other people’s convictions, experiences and values does nothing to foster the unity of the body of Christ here on earth, nor to further the work of the kingdom of God.
Paul challenged the Corinthians’ pride with a healthy dose of realism. “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God....Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1:26-31).
Paul reminds us and the Corinthian congregation that the starting point, the foundation for unity in mind and purpose is always Jesus.
He opens his letter with a customary statement of thanksgiving:
“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind–just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you–so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord....Be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” (1:4-9, 10b).
In addressing the schism that was afflicting the Corinthians, the problems created by following different leaders, Paul acknowledges that both he and Apollos are servants of the Lord who have both made contributions to the church: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (3:6). “Paul recognized that neither his foundational work nor Apollos’ subsequent ministry were what would hold the church together. He called the quarrelling parties back to the foundation of the church” which was before the division and more important and greater than their division, for as Paul said, “No one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ” (3:11) [“Praying over the broken body of Christ” by Dan Nighswander, Prayer Week materials published by Mennonite Church Canada, 2004 p. 16] .
What might it mean for the churches of Lethbridge to be united in the mind and purpose of Christ, that is, to affirm that Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church?
1) It might mean celebrating and giving thanks for the many ways in which we as congregations and individuals in Lethbridge are already united in Christ: exchanging scripture readers, enjoying Lenten lunches together, publically gathering together for worship near city hall on Pentecost Sunday. For eight denominations and congregations to be so involved in a city of this size, (besides being worthwhile and fun), is pretty amazing! For this, I boast in the Lord!
2) To be united in mind and purpose means celebrating other shared ecumenical endeavours that take place locally and further afield: Ecumenical Campus ministry at the university and college, shared chaplaincy at the hospital, theological education taking place in consortia and schools, two or more denominations sharing buildings, clergy, programs, or worship.
3) To be united in mind and purpose means churches working together with Aboriginal people in the search for justice, healing, and reconciliation, most recently through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
4) To be united in mind and purpose often means sharing that unity on occasions like we are this morning, but perhaps more often – that unity develops a few people at a time.
My other part-time work, (aside from being part-time supply minister at Southminster United Church) is in retail in downtown Lethbridge. One day, one of my co-workers said, “There’s some pricing we can do in the back room.”
I said, “Ya; sure; okay.”
After a while, my co-worker said, “We might as well watch tv while we’re pricing.”
I said, “Ya; sure; okay.”
My co-worker is Catholic. What do you think we watched? [No, it wasn’t the Saskatchewan Roughriders!]. We watched what was on every single network: the election of the new Pope! What a blessing for us to watch together. Finally, when Pope Francis was chosen, we could both say, with wet eyes and glad hearts, “We have a new Pope!”
Thank God for sharing Pope Francis with the world. Thanks to our worldwide Catholic brothers and sisters for sharing him with the rest of us.
5) A concluding (but by no means the last) way to be united in mind and purpose as fellow Christians in diverse churches and denominations –
– is to consider and celebrate the gifts that we are to one another.
In the L’Arche community here in Lethbridge [where adults with and without developmental disabilities live together], when a person has a birthday, all of the guests take their turn telling the birthday person what ‘gift’ the birthday person is to them. And also, the birthday person tells what gift they are to themselves!
I’ve sat in on a few of those birthday circles. They are profound. But if you don’t know the birthday person very well, it’s hard to say what gift they are to you.
If we knew each other well enough as Christians, congregations and denominations to be able to name to the other the gift in Christ they are to us, can you imagine how far that would bring us together in unity? The key though, is getting to know one another better. Perhaps this why it’s such a good thing when we have lunch or refreshments at these ecumenical events. Food and conversation and getting to know one another often go hand in hand.
“The good news for the church, Christ’s church is that the unity God desires is a work that God will carry out. Obligated as we are to work toward it, we cannot make it happen; that’s the Holy Spirit’s job. But we can be confident that it will come to pass, because God has planned it, and God is faithful” [Nighswander, p. 56]. And by grace we will be gathered into the unity. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Sermon: Is Christ Divided?
Date: Sat., Jan. 18, 2014
Place: Assumption Catholic Church, Lethbridge, AB
Scripture: 1 Cor. 1:1-17
Rev. Ruth Preston Schilk
Here we are, such a diverse group meeting for worship and to pray for Christian unity – Presbyterian, Baptist, Salvation Army, Catholic, Anglican, Mennonite, Lutheran. Isn’t it great that in heaven, we’ll all be...U/united?!
Here on this side of heaven, there remains room to strive toward greater Christian unity. The reason we gather today, and the main reason to engage in communal prayer for unity is simply because God has invited us to it. And in particular, Jesus himself modelled praying for unity as he prayed not only on behalf of his disciples, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Him (that’s us)..., that they may all be one. As you, Father, 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” (Jn. 17:21).
The consequence of unity is God’s blessing:
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore. Psalm 133:1-3
My very first Bible was one with some coloured illustrations. One of the pictures was of a Bible character being anointed with oil, and it really was running down from the head to the collar. I remember one of my first thoughts upon seeing that picture was “Yuck! That looks messy!” And so it is with God’s blessing. It’s often messy, but it sticks like oil. There’s a permanency about it. Likewise, striving toward unity is worth the messiness – and the blessing.
The apostle Paul puts before us all, the difficult question of 1 Corinthians 1:13, ‘Has Christ Been Divided?’ Paul is speaking rhetorically, challenging the early church in Corinth and very much challenging us about the divisions in the Body of Christ, the church.
Thank God the Bible records the struggles of a divided church, (namely the Corinthian church), its call to unity, and the healing challenge and encouragement that Paul’s letter offers to the brokenness of that local “body of Christ.” Thank God, not because that congregation went through pain and we can be voyeurs as we read this letter, but because our own “body of Christ” in this time and place may be ministered to by their experience and drawn to greater unity and fellowship.
The factionalism in the Corinthian church was fuelled by arrogance and boasting about their respective leaders (3:21-22; 4:6,7,18,19). How easy it is to try to elevate ourselves and our denomination or congregation and its leaders – by criticizing another. Claiming spiritual superiority, combined with putting down other people’s convictions, experiences and values does nothing to foster the unity of the body of Christ here on earth, nor to further the work of the kingdom of God.
Paul challenged the Corinthians’ pride with a healthy dose of realism. “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God....Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1:26-31).
Paul reminds us and the Corinthian congregation that the starting point, the foundation for unity in mind and purpose is always Jesus.
He opens his letter with a customary statement of thanksgiving:
“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind–just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you–so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord....Be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” (1:4-9, 10b).
In addressing the schism that was afflicting the Corinthians, the problems created by following different leaders, Paul acknowledges that both he and Apollos are servants of the Lord who have both made contributions to the church: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (3:6). “Paul recognized that neither his foundational work nor Apollos’ subsequent ministry were what would hold the church together. He called the quarrelling parties back to the foundation of the church” which was before the division and more important and greater than their division, for as Paul said, “No one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ” (3:11) [“Praying over the broken body of Christ” by Dan Nighswander, Prayer Week materials published by Mennonite Church Canada, 2004 p. 16] .
What might it mean for the churches of Lethbridge to be united in the mind and purpose of Christ, that is, to affirm that Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church?
1) It might mean celebrating and giving thanks for the many ways in which we as congregations and individuals in Lethbridge are already united in Christ: exchanging scripture readers, enjoying Lenten lunches together, publically gathering together for worship near city hall on Pentecost Sunday. For eight denominations and congregations to be so involved in a city of this size, (besides being worthwhile and fun), is pretty amazing! For this, I boast in the Lord!
2) To be united in mind and purpose means celebrating other shared ecumenical endeavours that take place locally and further afield: Ecumenical Campus ministry at the university and college, shared chaplaincy at the hospital, theological education taking place in consortia and schools, two or more denominations sharing buildings, clergy, programs, or worship.
3) To be united in mind and purpose means churches working together with Aboriginal people in the search for justice, healing, and reconciliation, most recently through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
4) To be united in mind and purpose often means sharing that unity on occasions like we are this morning, but perhaps more often – that unity develops a few people at a time.
My other part-time work, (aside from being part-time supply minister at Southminster United Church) is in retail in downtown Lethbridge. One day, one of my co-workers said, “There’s some pricing we can do in the back room.”
I said, “Ya; sure; okay.”
After a while, my co-worker said, “We might as well watch tv while we’re pricing.”
I said, “Ya; sure; okay.”
My co-worker is Catholic. What do you think we watched? [No, it wasn’t the Saskatchewan Roughriders!]. We watched what was on every single network: the election of the new Pope! What a blessing for us to watch together. Finally, when Pope Francis was chosen, we could both say, with wet eyes and glad hearts, “We have a new Pope!”
Thank God for sharing Pope Francis with the world. Thanks to our worldwide Catholic brothers and sisters for sharing him with the rest of us.
5) A concluding (but by no means the last) way to be united in mind and purpose as fellow Christians in diverse churches and denominations –
– is to consider and celebrate the gifts that we are to one another.
In the L’Arche community here in Lethbridge [where adults with and without developmental disabilities live together], when a person has a birthday, all of the guests take their turn telling the birthday person what ‘gift’ the birthday person is to them. And also, the birthday person tells what gift they are to themselves!
I’ve sat in on a few of those birthday circles. They are profound. But if you don’t know the birthday person very well, it’s hard to say what gift they are to you.
If we knew each other well enough as Christians, congregations and denominations to be able to name to the other the gift in Christ they are to us, can you imagine how far that would bring us together in unity? The key though, is getting to know one another better. Perhaps this why it’s such a good thing when we have lunch or refreshments at these ecumenical events. Food and conversation and getting to know one another often go hand in hand.
“The good news for the church, Christ’s church is that the unity God desires is a work that God will carry out. Obligated as we are to work toward it, we cannot make it happen; that’s the Holy Spirit’s job. But we can be confident that it will come to pass, because God has planned it, and God is faithful” [Nighswander, p. 56]. And by grace we will be gathered into the unity. Thanks be to God! Amen.