Divided by Having a Common Savior?

3 Epiphany A      January  26, 2020

Is. 9:1-4         Psalm 27:1, 5-13
1 Cor. 1:10-18    Matt. 4:12-23

Lectionary Link

George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde and others have said that the British and Americans are people who are divided by having a common language.  As Churchill asked Ike before D-Day, "General, why do you Yanks say SKEDULE;  we Brits, say correctly, SHED-UEL?"  And Ike replied, "Well, that's what we learned in SHHOOELL."

How many Communions, churches, and denominations call themselves Christian in our world?  Starbucks are more unified in their coffee products and shops than Christians are in their beliefs and practices.  We can ironically say that Christians are diverse people who are divided by having a common Savior.  What is more divided than the practice of Christians practicing "closed communion" with each other?

Yesterday, on January 25th, we finished the week of Christian Unity which is between the celebration of the Confession of St. Peter and the celebration of the Conversion of St. Paul.  This week of Christian Unity is the aspiration for Christians to pause and take note of what we agree on so that we don't let our differences result in the hateful excommunication of each others.

Holding unity and difference together in perfect reciprocity is the great task of life.  We are one humanity but living in significant differences.  We are one America but we are always threatened by the extreme polarization of our differences.  One might even think that Americans are living in the state of perpetual excommunication of each other, with different parties declaring the other as American heretics.  Americans are people divided by having a common Constitution, Pledge of Allegiance and Flag.  In fact the unity/diversity dynamic is even more local; husband and wife are often persons divided by having a common marriage.  Mother, father, son and daughter are often persons divided by having a common family.  On and on, the dynamic between unity and diversity are the big waves of life on which we try to surf without crashing to harm.

If unity and difference is a fact of the process of life, we need to learn how to exploit the strengths of unity and difference while minimizing the threats of both.  Unifying absolute power, corrupts absolutely, think Hitler and Stalin.  Splintering and isolating diversity creates chaos and open and even hurtful conflict.

The Church of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit was a Gospel which in essence was saying we do unity and diversity in the most adequate and beneficial way.  We don't do it through the unity of a Caesar with an army able to force such unity; we don't try to limit unity as simply an isolated ethnic group consisting of ritually observant Jews.  This kind of unity is not accessibly offered to the entire world.  St. Peter and St. Paul believed that the unity and diversity dynamics of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit should be brought to the entire world in accessible and unrestricted ways.

But stating the aspiration of finding the best balance between unity and diversity is easier said than done.  And St. Paul found this out real quickly.  There was conflict arising within the Corinthian church to which he wrote.  Why?  Members of the Corinthian church were saying to each other, "My guru is better than yours.  I take my marching orders from Paul, or from Cephas, or from Apollos," or others were saying, "I take my orders directly from Christ."  Indeed Paul discovered that the Corinthian church was a church divided by having a common Christ.  One can see that much of the persuasive effort of St. Paul in his letter of Corinthians is devoted to persuade them to honor the diversity of ministry while serving the One Holy Spirit.  And the tour de force of Paul's letter to the Corinthians is the Love Chapter where he wrote that you can have everything, all the gifts, all knowledge, all sacrifice, but it means nothing without having Love.  Loving each other is what allows unity in diversity; not a trivial "liking" each other in having the same affinities on ritual rules or teacher preference.  These minor affinities cannot unify if they are magnified to be the primary basis of unity.

So what is the key to evangelism or the good news of God in Jesus Christ?  The Gospel lesson for today presents to us some of the original insights about evangelism.  Jesus of Nazareth called some simply fisher folk.  James and John and Peter and Andrew.  What do you think is the dynamic ingredient in the call of Christ?  It is love.  You won't willingly and cheerfully follow someone whom you don't love.  Jesus loved the people he called and they loved him.  This dynamic relationship is what is essential to the call of Christ.  How did Christ love these fishermen?  He went to where they were located in location and vocation.  He was not recruiting people with impressive resumes.   Most American Presidents have to have gone to Harvard or Yale.  Most English Bishops have to be Oxbridge people; graduates of either Oxford or Cambridge.  Jesus loved and called people because he went to where they were.  He did not say, "I'll check your resumes and make sure you have studied the Torah in the Hillel School, the Shammai School or Gamaliel School of rabbinical studies.  If you have the correct degree in the study of the Torah, I'll consider hiring you for the evangelical task."

No, what did Jesus say to them?  He said, "Follow me, and don't burn your bridges in your previous life experience.  You learned much as a fisherman.  You learned the patience of waiting for the catch.  You learned to accept the "how many," of the catch.  You learned community during the wait as you shared stories during rain or sunshine, or wind or calm.  So all of these virtues you learned in fishing, I want you to transform in learning how to relate to the people in your future.  You fishermen really love fish; well you evangelists are really going to love people whom you will meet.  And this love is going to help you call and catch people because your love is going to be shown in how you reach out to people where they are."

They will know that we are Christians by our love.  Love is the secret to evangelism.  Love is the secret to finding the ideal balance between unity and diversity.  And love is not easy because it involves the regard of justice, of giving each person his or her due.  Love is not the easy, mushy liking of others; love involves the deep regard for people for whom we might not have any natural like or affinity.

Today you and I are still called to fish for or catch people, but not a predators who want to feel good about ourselves if we can get people to agree with our Christian point of view.  "Wow, if I can get more people to agree with me and fill the pews that means my view is better."  No, church growth for its own sake, is not the loving and regarding call of Jesus Christ to which we are invited.

Today, you and I, are invited to catch people through the practice of accepting love of Jesus Christ.  And the people whom we accept may not be popular to other people.  Many churches have divided over who can be acceptable followers of Jesus Christ.  Many have left the Episcopal Church, Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church and Methodist Church regarding who can be acceptable followers of Jesus Christ and full participating members within the church.

Today you and I are not here to agree about who our gurus of faith are.  We are not here to agree on all manner of taste, politics or sports teams.  We are here to be together to seriously engage the practice of love which guides the wisdom of finding how to honor unity and diversity in our midst.  And in finding a love which reconciles unity and diversity, we go forth to fish for people.  We invite them to be involved in our humble, always incomplete efforts at the practice of love; a love that honors the unique difference of each person, even while agreeing that the practice of love enables me to have the power to check my ego at the door to be involved in all of the good things we can do together as united Christians.  

So to live together well and to evangelize effectively, you and I have been and are called to follow Jesus Christ in the practice of Love. Full stop.  Amen.