Epiphany 3
I heard a story some time ago about a young rabbi who had a serious problem in his new congregation. During the Friday service half the congregation stood for the prayers and half remained seated, each side shouted at the other, insisting that theirs was the true tradition. Nothing the rabbi said or did moved anyone toward solving the impasse. Finally, in desperation, the rabbi sought out the synagogue’s 99-year-old founder. He met the old rabbi and poured out his troubles. “So tell me,” he pleaded, “was it the tradition for the congregation to stand during the prayers?” “No,” answered the old rabbi. “Ah!” responded the younger man, “then it was the tradition to sit during the prayers?” “No,” answered the old rabbi. “Well,” the young rabbi responded , “what we have is complete chaos! Half the people stand and shout and the other half sit and scream.” “Ah,” said the old man, “that was the tradition!”
Today we are bidden to pray for the unity and the mission of the Church because it is the Week of Prayer for christian Unity. Sometimes the church can be seen to be just like that synagogue. The Romans won’t talk with Anglicans, the Greek Orthodox don’t get on with the Russians, then you have the Coptic church, and then there is always the Church of Southern India. What a great muddle!
It has always been the same. We just need to recall the reading from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Some say “I belong to Paul” or “I belong to Apollos” or “I belong to Cephas” or “I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided? Paul then asks. No, Christ is not divided. That is the final answer from Paul.
Then as now, people are divided in their loyalties. Then, as now, people are vociferous in telling others how they should behave. This happens on the personal level as well as the public level. Your friend might tell you how he or she might behave in a particular situation, and politicians are masters at this art, aren’t they? But in the end it is all just the noises of different choruses letting everyone know how to behave, but at the top of their voices. It is the chaos we hear whenever we listen to Yesterday in Parliament.
It seems there is only the chaos that that poor young rabbi experienced in his congregation. That chaos is the human condition. Christ brings us into the middle ground where we can see that chaos, for Christ is the centre between all extremes and Christ is calling to all of us for the extremity of charity.
Paul is happy that he was preaching the gospel and that he had only baptised a few in Corinth. For it appears that people in Corinth identified themselves with the person who baptised them into the new life in the church. Paul is saying to us and to them: the gospel unites; division lies in human folly. Unification is in the love of Christ. That is the message Paul preaches to any who will listen to him.
These people in Corinth were disputing because of the people they identified with. The fellow baptised by Apollos was sworn to follow Apollos, and so on. But Paul claims Christ alone as his guiding light. These people were identifying themselves with the preacher or gospeller in a particular place. Much like saying, “I go to church because of the vicar.”
This is just the opposite of today’s congregations – or should I say lack of congregations. “I don’t go to church because of the Vicar!” is the most common statement you hear when church membership or attendance comes up in conversation. This is by far the largest faction outside of the Anglican or any other church, don’t you think?
Be that as it may, I personally think that the safest reason for going to church is to say, “I go to church in spite of the Vicar.” When we identify with a particular person, we forget the high calling every christian has, the calling from the throne of grace to the very substance of one’s very existence. It has nothing to do with how nice the vicar is. But it has everything to do with the call when we hear the gospel preached. “From deep unto deep” is a poetic phrase which speaks about this essential relationship. The deep is certainly not the vicar and that other deep is certainly not me in my everyday activity.
The deep calling unto the deep is the gospel’s call on our hearts, those hearts which are torn apart when there is any division between people round about us. Coming to church in spite of the person in the vestments at the front of the congregation may be a little fatuous, but it points to the fact that the call is coming from well beyond the vested figure at the front of the pews and perhaps sometimes coming through that figure in spite of the fancy dress.
I know that you are very happy that the church is open for services because of the licensed ministers in this place, but the whole point of Paul’s letters is that Christ calls to each and every one of us, not the particular preachers who speak from week to week. The minister has nothing to do with your faith; the minister only lets you think harder about your faith. That is why I say “in spite of” as a reason for coming to church.
I am glad that you have come in spite of me here at the front. You have come because of the reality of your faith. That the voice of God echoing from that perfect deep of heaven has rumbled deep in the essence of your souls is the reason you have come to church this morning. Like the church bell sounding out the church’s welcome, that call has been heard and you have made your way here this morning.
Paul wanted people to believe the gospel of salvation through the blood of Christ. He did not want factions, he wanted only faith, a faith which engendered virtues and destroyed the chaos of human frailty.
We have to be realistic, like the rabbis of my story, but we also have to work towards the reality of christian unity in the love of Jesus, the Christ crucified for us, the incarnate Lord of the Christmass stories and our Epiphany celebrations. The human reality of chaos which is in any congregation will still exist, but when we are faith–full that chaotic melee becomes more the song of humanity which harmonises with the angelic music from heaven.