Day of Pentecost (1 Cor 12:3b-13)  6/12/2011

Many years before the drama of television soap operas and reality shows like “The Jersey Shore” and “The Real Housewives,” there was the real-life drama of the city of Corinth. The ancient city of Corinth that was known to the Apostle Paul was a city that was populated under the supervision of the Roman government; the Romans sending a diverse population of unwanted citizens from the capital city of Rome. With its population growth and its strategic location in the Mediterranean Sea, the city of Corinth soon became a busy trading center and the culturally diverse population became an interesting community for Paul to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul’s message of Christ was well received by many Corinthians, but his first letter reveals to us that the diversity of the people also led to a diversity of understanding of how to live together in their newly formed Christian community. The Corinthians continued to argue about many aspects of their common life: how to worship together, how to live together, and whose spiritual gifts were most important. Paul urged the Corinthians to settle their differences and live together in love. Paul encouraged the community to set aside their childish arguments and come together. He wrote: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:11-13)

The love that Paul encouraged the Corinthians to have for each other is the unconditional love that is found in God’s love for each of us. A love that understands and values the amazing variety of gifts given to us through the grace of the Holy Spirit. On this Day of Pentecost, this day of the gift of the Holy Spirit, we hear Paul explain to the Corinthians that their love and understanding for each other must be deeply rooted in their love and understanding that the variety of gifts is not only a divine gift of God, but is a necessity for their life in Christ. Paul wrote, “All these [gifts] are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 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.” (1 Cor 12:11-12) Paul continued to explain to the Corinthians that no part of the body was more valuable than any other part and that each part of the body had an important contribution to the whole. Paul’s lesson may have appeared quite obvious as it was read to the community, but for a community of people who were busy trying to survive in a culture that placed great value on the differences between people, Paul’s message of love may have been easy to understand but difficult to put into action. Paul understood the challenges that the Corinthians faced as they attempted to live their lives in this new Christian way; the difficulties associated with loving their neighbor as a valued equal member of the community and appreciating the contribution of their gifts. Paul promised his readers that their love for each other was possible if they understood the power of the grace given to them in Baptism.

“For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jew or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all made to drink of one Spirit,” wrote Paul. (1 Cor 12:13) In baptism, we are not only washed clean and accepted as Christ’s own forever; we are all baptized into the Body of Christ and made one before God, equal partners and each entrusted to do God’s work in this world. Through baptism we are made brothers and sisters in Christ; a community that is both diverse and equal through the grace of God. The Christian journey that begins for each of us in Baptism continues with the love and support of the entire community, the entire Body of Christ. This is the journey that Paul told the Corinthians to follow, the Spirit led journey that is formed in the faith, hope, and love of God. This is our journey and this is the journey that Charlotte will begin today as we baptize her into the Body of Christ. Her journey, like ours, will continue to be shaped by those who surround her in love and charity.

Soap operas and TV reality shows may be an interesting form of entertainment, but they also reflect our culture’s intrigue with the belief that difference leads to drama and division. On this Day of Pentecost, we have been given a different path to follow. We have been given the grace of the Holy Spirit and the promise that as children of God we have been given a great diversity of gifts through the same Spirit for the mutual good of the community. The diversity of gifts is our strength, the presence of the Holy Spirit is our inspiration and comfort, and God’s love for us is our promise that we are members of the Body of Christ. AMEN.