The Body of Christ

by The Rev. Dr. John D. Lane

This sermon is based on 1 Corinthians 12:27.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

According to Tim Shriver, head of the Special Olympics, “Spirituality is about ‘me. Religion is about ‘we’.” Consider today’s passage from the1^st Epistle to the Corinthians. Paul writes:

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. (1Cor 12:12-14)

Paul was writing in a very different time, when religion was an important part of everyone’s life. In different ways and to varying degrees, everyone was religious. Paul himself is astounded at the variety of religious expression he finds when he visits Athens, with temples and statues dedicated to all kinds of gods. According to Luke in Acts, Paul preaches to the Athenians as follows: “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’” (Acts 17:22-23) The Athenians covered all their bases.

“I’m spiritual but not religious” is often a shorthand statement for not going to church. It is quite possible to be spiritual without being religious. And it is just as possible to be religious without being spiritual. One Trinity member was heard to say that a certain former rector–could have been me, I suppose–was a man who made him feel spiritual–by comparison!

I’ve worshiped in church virtually every Sunday of my life.; for 35 years, 2-3 times per Sunday. Yet there have been many periods when I didn’t feel spiritual. There were times when I didn’t read the Bible regularly, sometimes forgot to pray, and didn’t do much beyond worship to connect with God. As a mentor of mine once told me, “There’s a difference between leading worship and worshiping”, so I wasn’t even getting as much out of worship as I might in the pew. Even clergy not spiritual? Think of this as my Lance Armstrong moment. But, to continue in the same vein as Lance, I’m no different from everyone else.

Though one can be spiritual and not attend church, avoiding church is not the fastest route to holiness. As an Episcopalian, I believe in the middle way. As a Libra–if that means anything at all–I believe in balance. The Christian ideal is a combination, a balance of religion and spirituality. As Tim Shriver put it, “Spirituality is about ‘me. Religion is about ‘we’.” Though Shriver is correct, we can go on to say both spirituality and religion are important, both are vital components of a life well-lived.

Assuming those who say they are spiritual but not religious are in the minority here today, I want to talk about the role of spirituality in our lives. First, many of us live very busy lives. It is hard to relax. It is hard to find time to pray. One thing I have done for years, even in my times of worst spiritual neglect, is pray when I’m alone in the car, If you’re used to closing your eyes when you pray, make an exception when you’re behind the wheel. As Christians, we are obligated to pray for the church and the world. What better time to pray for the world than when we are out there, seeing all kinds of people in all kinds of circumstances.

Driving through downtown Staunton, we are easily reminded to pray for the emotionally and physically disabled. We can also pray for school children, government employees, business owners and their workers, police and fire fighters, the unemployed, immigrants, and the poor. I also pray when I walk. Since I retired, I do a lot of walking, mostly on the street. When the weather is bad I get on one of the machines at the Y. I usually take a book, but I take breaks occasionally between chapters and I do close my eyes and pray. It’s not as dangerous on the elliptical machine as it is while driving.

Most Monday evenings, Bizzy and I attend Mindfulness Meditation over in the Foster Room. We sit for an hour in directed meditation. Just last week, I was in a state of agitation as I drove down here, but I felt very much refreshed by the time I left. My burdens had been lifted by concentrating on being in the midst of silence. We’re supposed to meditate for 20 minutes each day at home, but Bizzy’s better at remembering this than I am. It’s also possible to pray when you can’t get to sleep or when you wake up in the middle of the night. In church we do emphasize the Episcopal calisthenics of sit, stand, and kneel, but at home lying down is a perfectly acceptable spiritual position.

Volunteering your time for outreach certainly feeds your spirituality. It’s impossible to go on a mission trip to Honduras or Haiti, serve Noon Lunch, work on a Habitat house, help out at the free clinic without finding yourself, often quite unexpectedly, closer to God.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Our spiritual moments feed our souls and leave us with more to give as members of the body of Christ, and this is important. It is also important to be religious, like each of you, to be here this morning. When we recite the Nicene Creed, we say “We believe,” not I believe. When we join in the Lord’s Prayer, it’s “Our Father,” not my Father.

We are each individuals, but gathering here on Sunday morning we are concerned with our collective life as Christians. It helps me as a Christian to be able to look across the aisle or look out from up here and see others who have got it together better than I have. I think of those who had the vision to establish and build this church–including my sainted predecessor Walter Hullihen who inspired some members of the congregation to go out and found Emmanuel Church, just to get away from him.

I look out at those who can sing and inspire us. I look out at those who teach our children and teach us. I remember Joan Bender, a woman who was in charge of recruiting Sunday school teachers at Holy Comforter-Charlotte back in the 70's. She asked one woman if she would be willing to teach 5^th grade for the coming year, and the woman said, “It’s just not my thing.” “Well,” replied Joan, “cleaning the bathroom isn’t my thing, but somebody’s got to do.” She told me she was shocked when the woman said, “I understand. I’ll do it.”

I look out at those who tend to our buildings and our grounds. I look out at those who raise and manage money. I look out at those who greet visitors every week, whether they are assigned this task or not. I look out at those who prepare and tend the altar. I look out at those whose wonderful contribution is just to be here every single week, praying on behalf of us all.

We’ve all been through tough times, and it is very nice to know that the members of this church are holding us up in prayer, bringing us food when we’re down and out, visiting us when we’re sick or grieving. Our family was blown away by the visits and food and cards we received when our son Andrew died. It buoyed us up more than you’ll ever know–unless you’ve had the same experience.

I’d like each of us to be able to say “I’m spiritual and I’m religious.” This is to understand the gospel and the words of Saint Paul: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

Saint Teresa of Avila wrote:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Amen.