1 Corinthians 1:10-17
One of the dictums by which I guide my ministry is that wherever there is more than one person in a room, there will be conflict--and, at times, it does not require the second person!
To be conflictual is to be human, so it seems.
It is then no surprise at all that the Church would endure the conflicted nature of the human beings who comprise it. We carry all the mess that is who and what we are with us everywhere we go, so, of course, it gets carried into church with us. Other than Luke--but even he had to admit the presence of conflict; he just mutes it--every New Testament witness confesses that the community of Christ suffered through conflict. The Twelve squabbled over who was the greatest and who would have the best seats in Jesus' kingdom and who was the most faithful. Paul dealt with the messes of the earliest churches, with Corinth leading the way, finding a way to argue about everything from which pastor was the best to who could be at table during Communion to who should speak and who should be quiet during meetings. Church history reveals nothing if not the persistence of argument, conflict, and division. Leo Tolstoy in a fascinating, forgotten book, "The Kingdom of God Is Within You," draws back in disbelief that the followers of Christ could be such a muddle of warring factions, each convinced that they are absolutely right--Jesus said love one another, so why can't the Church, of all groups, do it?
Good question.
We are a people formed in and through love, for grace is no less than God's astounding love embodied in acceptance of even the most unacceptable human beings imaginable--really take to heart the reality of Paul--a persecutor turned missionary--what Personnel Committee would hire him to do that? Think about it! Yet, God does. So, you would think acceptance, affirmation, and allowance would govern our life together. But the Church fights. It squabbles. It becomes so very petty.
Does that nullify it?
No. No, because, in the end, it isn't about us. It's about God. God is big enough to deal with us as we are. I do not believe God meets us with a narrow, limited presentation of himself. I believe God can handle us in our diversity and complexity. So, God redeems our conflicted nature. If Joe needs to find God in this way, with these words, and that practice, so be it. If Mary finds all of that anathema, God is good and grace abounds and God will listen to Mary, too. God will stay with them each.
Our task then becomes allowing God to be God. One of the first pieces of doing that is recognizing that all theology is speculative--all of it. God is not beholden to any creed. God is, period. Our second task, then, is to listen to one another. Why does Joe believe as Joe does? Why does Mary believe as Mary does? Can they see the God at the center of both their views? Can they come see how Joe's vision broadens Mary's; and Mary's, Joe's?
God waits for us.
Seeing that, Paul stuck with the Corinthians. Oh, he yelled at them a good bit, but he never gave up. Instead, he turned them, all of them, to God. He reset their priorities, their absolutes, and their vision of each other--so much so that he declared the whole work of the Gospel is reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor. 5)--both from God's perspective and ours.
So, Christian unity may be beyond us, but love is not. See what love God has for us--God listens to whomever speaks to him.
Maybe we should do the same.
One of the dictums by which I guide my ministry is that wherever there is more than one person in a room, there will be conflict--and, at times, it does not require the second person!
To be conflictual is to be human, so it seems.
It is then no surprise at all that the Church would endure the conflicted nature of the human beings who comprise it. We carry all the mess that is who and what we are with us everywhere we go, so, of course, it gets carried into church with us. Other than Luke--but even he had to admit the presence of conflict; he just mutes it--every New Testament witness confesses that the community of Christ suffered through conflict. The Twelve squabbled over who was the greatest and who would have the best seats in Jesus' kingdom and who was the most faithful. Paul dealt with the messes of the earliest churches, with Corinth leading the way, finding a way to argue about everything from which pastor was the best to who could be at table during Communion to who should speak and who should be quiet during meetings. Church history reveals nothing if not the persistence of argument, conflict, and division. Leo Tolstoy in a fascinating, forgotten book, "The Kingdom of God Is Within You," draws back in disbelief that the followers of Christ could be such a muddle of warring factions, each convinced that they are absolutely right--Jesus said love one another, so why can't the Church, of all groups, do it?
Good question.
We are a people formed in and through love, for grace is no less than God's astounding love embodied in acceptance of even the most unacceptable human beings imaginable--really take to heart the reality of Paul--a persecutor turned missionary--what Personnel Committee would hire him to do that? Think about it! Yet, God does. So, you would think acceptance, affirmation, and allowance would govern our life together. But the Church fights. It squabbles. It becomes so very petty.
Does that nullify it?
No. No, because, in the end, it isn't about us. It's about God. God is big enough to deal with us as we are. I do not believe God meets us with a narrow, limited presentation of himself. I believe God can handle us in our diversity and complexity. So, God redeems our conflicted nature. If Joe needs to find God in this way, with these words, and that practice, so be it. If Mary finds all of that anathema, God is good and grace abounds and God will listen to Mary, too. God will stay with them each.
Our task then becomes allowing God to be God. One of the first pieces of doing that is recognizing that all theology is speculative--all of it. God is not beholden to any creed. God is, period. Our second task, then, is to listen to one another. Why does Joe believe as Joe does? Why does Mary believe as Mary does? Can they see the God at the center of both their views? Can they come see how Joe's vision broadens Mary's; and Mary's, Joe's?
God waits for us.
Seeing that, Paul stuck with the Corinthians. Oh, he yelled at them a good bit, but he never gave up. Instead, he turned them, all of them, to God. He reset their priorities, their absolutes, and their vision of each other--so much so that he declared the whole work of the Gospel is reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor. 5)--both from God's perspective and ours.
So, Christian unity may be beyond us, but love is not. See what love God has for us--God listens to whomever speaks to him.
Maybe we should do the same.
Nicely put. Look forward to your future comments.
ReplyDeleteGood insights--thanks.
ReplyDelete