Too High a Calling?

Psalm 27 and 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Paul wrote this letter to the Church in Corinth from his apartment in Ephesus. Then he gave it to friends to hand deliver (16:17). When they arrived in Corinth they gave the letter to the pastor of the church or to other church leaders, so that it could be read to the congregation at its next gathering. This was the regular practice of the early church: to read aloud both Jewish and Christian writings as part of worship.

Word might have spread through the congregation that a letter from the great Apostle had arrived and would be read in worship on the first day of the week. Maybe that Sunday, the worship space was packed with people in anticipation of hearing what Paul had written.

The letter begins the same way all of Paul’s letters begin. There’s the usual greetings and a word of thanksgiving to God. Then Paul writes: you, the church in Corinth, have been enriched in Christ so that they were not lacking in any spirit gift. Can you sense the happiness of the congregation that day as Paul’s words are read aloud? God is faithful, the reader continues, by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Someone might have leaned over to a friend and said, what great, uplifting words we are hearing today.

And then I imagine the reader pauses, the paper he’s holding might be shaking a little. He’s nervous and looks around for a moment and then glances at an elder who motions him to continue reading.

And so he does: I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.

With this I imagine the smiles in the congregation are gone. The mood has changed and it’s clear that the Apostle’s letter is speaking right into the middle of that conflicted church. The reader continues: It’s been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”

And there it is. The reason for Paul’s letter is now clear to the entire congregation. What follows is a long letter addressing the several reasons for division in Corinth. The letter ends with a series of commands: keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (16:13-14) I imagine there’s a long silence after the reader finishes the letter, then the pastor speaks.

Paul began with an appeal: that the Corinthians be united in the same mind and the same purpose. Unity is a theme for the entire letter. That prompts a question for me? Is unity too high a calling for the church? Church history has been one of division. In the church today there are struggles about music or how much water should be used for a baptism or the wording in a prayer book or who God calls to ministry and how mainstream exactly are Mormons? Is it too high a calling for broken people to be united in the same mind and the same purpose when it comes to church matters? We don’t have a very good track record when it comes to this.

Nevertheless, Paul wants this for the church because he believes unity in Christ helps us navigate our differences. So that’s where he begins this letter. Did you hear the test he offers for unity? It works in Corinth or anywhere else. It’s a simple test: answer three questions correctly.

Here’s the first one: Has Christ been divided? Our tribalism is deep in our DNA. We divide into groups very quickly: denominations, religious affiliations, groups who prefer one kind of worship over another, styles of baptism, different ways of coming to the table, even economic political and racial divisions in the church. We are quick to divide as a people, but has Christ been divided? No, we’re the ones who are divided—and mostly by our own choosing. We have a tendency to want to keep Christ with us in our group. We forget that we’ve been called into fellowship with Christ, not the other way around. Has Christ been divided, Paul asks? No.

Here’s the second question: Was Paul crucified for you? Our faith begins around a cross and an empty tomb. The cross in our sanctuary is empty, but that’s not because we have forgotten who was on it, or that it doesn’t matter who was on it. It’s empty because of Easter. Resurrection means that both cross and tomb are empty, and Christ is risen. Jesus wasn’t the only person crucified in the ancient world but we believe he was the only for whom crucifixion was not an end, but only a beginning. Was Paul crucified for you? No.

Here’s the third question: Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Baptism is that signs that one has a greater claim on you than God. You belong to the household of God. Many groups make lesser claims on your like, but whom do you wish to have the greatest claim on your life? Were you baptized in the name of Paul, he asks?

A church that answers no to all three of these questions passes the test and has the potential to become united in mind and purpose. That doesn’t mean we suddenly agree about everything. When has that ever been the case in the church? It does, however, mean that no matter how we separate into groups we still share a common Lord, we still have one faith in the saving work of Christ on the cross, and we still hold to the sense that God alone lays claim equally to all of us in the waters of baptism. Similar words are shared with the church in Ephesus (4:5): One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

The Corinthians didn’t pass the unity test. The letter Paul wrote them was part of Paul’s attempt to help them rediscover unity in Christ. We don’t know whether they found it or not, but we can know whether or not we are united in Christ, and share the same mind and purpose. Passing the test is only the first part, living it out is the second. I want to offer two images that speak to me about living out our unity in Christ.

The first image comes from my home last week. On Tuesday when it snowed, Susanne made chicken soup. That snowy day was a great day for soup. She added chicken, water, many different vegetables, rice, herbs, and spices. Separately those foods are all good, but together on that day, they all made each other better. Unity Christ is that calling to combine, to make each other better and offer the world something good on a cold day.

The second comes from John Calvin who writes that Paul is challenging the Corinthian church to move from quarreling to chorus. In this challenge discordant tones are replaced by a harmony which allows each person or group to sing its own part and yet still all share in the one overarching song the composer of which is God. That song is the song of the cross of Christ and its power.

The unity test, Soup, and song. I appeal to you brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. Amen.