I Corinthians 10:17 * September 7, 2008 * Unity Sunday * Pastor Pagels

In the name of Christ Jesus, the One who makes us one, dear friends:

“Celebrate Diversity.” You’ve probably heard that phrase somewhere before. And you might be aware that the rainbow colored bumper stickers that display the slogan give those words a very specific meaning. For some, celebrating diversity means accepting alternative lifestyles.

But for those of us who don’t approve of alternative lifestyles, for those of us who believe that God’s Word is clear on the subject of human sexuality, those two words can still be meaningful. We live in a country that celebrates diversity. We live in a community that spends every weekend of the summer celebrating the many diverse cultures that make up America’s melting pot.

And what is true of our country is also true of our congregation. When St. John’s was founded in 1882 the make up of the congregation was almost exclusively German, but that isn’t the case any more. Some of us speak English. Others speak Chinese. Some of us are lifelong Lutherans. Others are new to the faith.

No matter what our native language is, no matter what our spiritual background is, every one of us is a unique creation of God. Each of us has been blessed with unique gifts and abilities, and we should celebrate that. In fact, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for us to set aside a Sunday to celebrate our diversity, but not this Sunday.

Today is a day to rejoice. Today is a day to give thanks. But we aren’t here to talk about what makes us different. We are here to celebrate what makes us one. We have gathered here this morning to thank and praise the One who makes us one.

This morning as you sing and pray and praise God with your brothers and sisters in Christ, I ask you to do one more thing. Celebrate…

CELEBRATE YOUR UNITY

It’s somewhat ironic that a verse from I Corinthians serves as the sermon text for Unity Sunday because the Christians in Corinth weren’t exactly known for their unity. Paul’s purpose in writing the letter was to address a long list of issues that were threatening to divide the congregation. And the first problem he addressed in the first chapter was the formation of factions within the church.

Instead of living together as one big, happy family, the members (at least some of them) were pledging their allegiance to different spiritual leaders. Paul wrote: “One of you says, ‘I follow Paul;’ another, ‘I follow Apollos;’ another, ‘I follow Cephas;’ still another, ‘I follow Christ’” (1:12).

If you want to get a better understanding of how serious the problem was, imagine what it would be like if one third of this assembly stood up and said, “We follow Pastor Leyrer,” and another third declared, “We follow Pastor Pagels,” and another third responded, “We follow Pastor Yu.” Think of all the problems that could cause. Think of all the damage the devil could do…all because we failed to focus on Christ, all because we failed to remember that we are all followers of Jesus.

It might sound kind of silly at first, but it’s really sad. It’s sad because it’s not hypothetical. It’s sad because divisions in the church can and do happen. Divisions among the Christians in Corinth were threatening to tear the congregation apart, and their problems went far beyond which pastor they chose to follow.

Christians were taking other Christians to court, and by doing so they were giving Christianity a bad name (ch. 6). One member was openly engaging in sexual immorality, but instead of confronting him with his sin the other members were congratulating him (ch. 5). Some were claiming that they had special knowledge. Others were boasting about their spiritual gifts. And when the members got together for fellowship meals, some were getting drunk while others went hungry.

What a mess! What a bunch of messed up people! Paul could have held up the Corinthian congregation as a model, as a model for what a church should NOT be like. It’s a good thing for us that our church isn’t like that. We don’t talk about each other. We don’t argue with each other. We would never see a brother or sister tangled up in sin and look the other way. We are always humble, always willing to serve, always eager to put the needs of others before our own.

It’s a good thing that Paul didn’t give up on the Corinthians. It’s a good thing that Paul sat down and wrote this letter to the Corinthians. And it’s a good thing that the Holy Spirit preserved this epistle because its message is both timely and timeless.

The problems in Corinth weren’t unique to Corinth. We struggle with the same issues. We face the same temptations. Having a Unity Sunday doesn’t make our congregation a model of Christian unity. Our church, every church, is made up of sinful people. And sin divides. Sin divides people, and even worse, sin separates people from God.

Paul didn’t lay out a seven step program to fix all the church’s problems. Paul’s solution was very simple. In fact, it had only one step. “We preach Christ crucified” (1:23), he proclaimed. That message spoke to every problem in the congregation. That message spoke to every member of the congregation. And that message, the message of Christ crucified, still speaks to sinners today.

In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul expanded on that theme when he wrote: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation…God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”(5:19,21).

Our sin separates us from God, but God brought us back. He reconciled us to himself in Christ, who was sinless, who became sin for us, who died on the cross for us, who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and sits at God’s right hand and rules over all things for our good.

Just like the heading for today’s gospel lesson says, Jesus Christ is the center of our unity. Because of Jesus we have forgiveness. Because of Jesus God is our Father and we are his dear children. Because of Jesus we are brothers and sisters who share a common faith and a common goal. A house divided cannot stand, but a house (and a church) united by Christ cannot fall.

And God has given us many opportunities to demonstrate our Christian unity. We join together with our fellow members at St. John’s to operate a Christian elementary school. We join together with other congregations in the Milwaukee area to operate Wisconsin Lutheran High School. We have joined together with congregations all across the country to form a synod, to train church workers and support mission work around the world.

But we express our Christian unity most clearly and most frequently by what we are doing today. Whether it’s this Sunday or the fifty-one Sundays out of the year that aren’t called Unity Sunday, we gather as a body of believers to worship our Savior God. We just confessed: “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth…” In a few moments we will pray: “Our Father in heaven…”

We are individuals and individual Christians, but by the grace of God we come together to form one body. We confess our faith together. We confess our sins together. And this morning our Lord gives us one more opportunity to express our Christian unity. Paul put it this way: “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (10:17).

In spite of all the problems in the church, in spite of all the fighting and backbiting, even though divisions were threatening to destroy the congregation, Paul could still say to the Corinthian Christians: “We are one. We are one body. And if you have doubts, if you need proof, look at the Lord’s Supper. That sacred meal instituted by Christ stands as an enduring testimony to our common Christian faith.”

We are confessional Lutherans, and we take communion very seriously. We believe that in this supper Jesus gives us his true body and blood. We believe that in this meal Jesus gives us the forgiveness of sins. The personal, tangible forgiveness we receive in the sacrament is a wonderful blessing, but it isn’t the only blessing.

There is an obvious vertical component to communion. Jesus comes to us in bread and wine. But there is also a horizontal component. When we stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters at the Lord’s altar, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. We are reminded that we aren’t alone. We are strengthened and we strengthen each other. Even though the bread we use comes in the form of individual wafers, the words of Paul are no less true: “We, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (10:17).

Unity Sunday is a joyful occasion, and we have many reasons to rejoice. We have a God who loves us and takes care of us. We have a God who gives us everything we need and has met our greatest need. We have a Savior who gave up his life to give us the hope of eternal life.

Unity Sunday is a special occasion every year, but this year it is even more special because there is a celebration within the celebration. In a few minutes we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper. And the words of Paul remind us that every time we celebrate communion we also celebrate our Christian unity. Amen.