"All in the Family of God" - I Cor. 12:3-13 - May 15, 2005 (Pentecost)

Our oldest daughter has two children. When the family gathers at the lake their unique personalities become quite distinguishable. Our granddaughter likes the fast lane. She always wants to ride on the jet ski and cruise over the lake as fast as she possibly can. On the other hand, our grandson likes to go out on the sailboat. He enjoys the slower pace, being driven by the wind instead of a powerful motor.

They are brother and sister with the same genealogy but they are also very different. Our son-in-law tries to encourage our grandson to be more like his sister and live in the fast lane. But, he has resisted so far because that is not who he is. Our granddaughter gets bored on the sailboat. It just doesn’t go fast enough for her. Of course we love them both and we try not to compare them. Since kids have so much pressure on them to be competitive the last thing we grandparents want to do is try to make them different from who they are.

The church folks at Corinth believed that everyone should be like them. They had developed a "club" mentality that had certain requirements. If you didn’t play by their rules, dress like them, act like them, or talk like them, you didn’t belong. Paul was encouraging the Church at Corinth to be more diverse. He argued that their strength would be in their diversity, embracing a multitude of talents. As long as they promoted sameness, their faith would be only superficial and consequently the church would be weak.

The church is not a club. It is not an organization that depends on superficial dress codes and look-alike motions. What makes the church unique is that we are not all the same, but different. Some of us are more driven than others. Some are just simply "laid back," taking life as it comes. What makes us interesting is the fact that we come from different backgrounds, different families, different communities and each of us has individual talents that are unique. But in spite of all our differences we are still all part of the Church.

Twenty five years ago in Columbus I preached my very first sermon. Ironically, this was the very text I used. The title of that sermon was "Unity and Diversity." I would be entering seminary a few months later so my minister gave me the opportunity to preach. It wasn’t my greatest message, but something very special happened to me that day. Folks in the congregation, even folks I didn’t know, affirmed by gifts as a preacher. Their words of encouragement gave me the confidence I needed to begin my new career in ministry.

Up until that moment my participation in the church had included teaching, singing, being a trustee, lay leader, youth advisor and church trustee. I think I chose that text because I had recognized the many different talents it takes to make a church vital and alive. And, if I was going to be a pastor in the future I would need folks with those gifts to make the church that I served complete.

In a congregation our size we have many personalities. People don’t always agree, they share different political views. They have different goals and ideas about what it means to be a church. People of different age groups have different visions about the future of the church. Unfortunately, people are threatened by those who represent other points of view. People are afraid of diversity. They feel secure when things and people are familiar and they want to protect their tradition and image. This however can be a healthy problem too. It forces all of us to relate to people who are different. It creates the potential for dialogue and a church that has a vision which is much broader in scope.

The biggest challenge for me in ministry is to create a job for every one in the congregation. Getting volunteers is easy. Finding something for everyone to do is difficult. Everyone needs a niche. By creating a sense of ownership a person feels both a sense of belonging and experiences fulfillment. When that happens the church grows and the body is strengthened.

Paul recognized that a church is made up of many different people with many different talents. Since everyone is different there are bound to be disagreements, even conflict. Naturally, the more diverse the group, the greater the possibility of conflict. But, conflict can lead to creativity and therefore create an atmosphere where tension can be vented. Conflict forces us to communicate and to struggle with the difficult issues of life. We have to be intentional about interacting. We have to make an effort to mingle, to engage people other than those we know.

Paul reminded the church at Corinth that we are all part of the same body. "Just as a body has many parts, so does the church." When one part aches, we all ache. When one part is successful, we are all successful. It doesn’t matter whose child is being baptized, we can all celebrate. The glue that holds us together is baptism. Baptism connects us with one another and with Jesus. It doesn’t matter that we are all different. What really matters is that are all working together for the common good and for the glory of God.

Perhaps that is part of the problem. People don't agree on what is the common good. I believe that we have to look to the teachings of Jesus to determine what is the common good. First, it is to love others, to be compassionate and forgiving. Secondly, it is to be inclusive. Everyone, no matter how different from us, deserves to be part of God’s kingdom. Third, Jesus wants us to be authentic. He wants us to accept who we are and use the gifts God has given us.

The last evening in my counseling class my students were sharing what they had learned from the course. One student said that she now realized that her vocation was to be a counselor. The course had affirmed her gifts and she had learned some of the essential skills to pursue a career in counseling. Previously she was unclear about her future and not sure what she should do with her life. I was flattered by her statement and I felt good that the course had helped her make a decision about her future.

As a congregation we need to be who we are too. We are different than our ancestors and the community and society we live in has changed in many ways. The challenge is to corporately use our gifts together and have a mission that best reflects who we are as a church.

The gifts and resources we need are among us but we cannot always see them because of our prejudices or our reluctance to accept people who are different from ourselves. In my counseling class I had a middle aged woman who has been working as a school cook. She was fairly quiet during the term and I didn’t know a whole lot about her. She wrote in a paper that during her years in the cafeteria many children confided in her and she learned she was a good listener. Someone suggested she pursue a career in human services. One evening in class we role-played a session and she volunteered to be the counselor. Her listening skills and empathy skills were amazing. She has a gift to be an effective counselor. This cook in the cafeteria will someday be a professional counselor.

All of you have gifts, and some of them are just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps there is someone you don’t know who is just the person the church needs to fill a void. Perhaps you have been reluctant to use your talents for fear of failing or being embarrassed. God needs us all. We are all different and yet we are all part of the body of Christ.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio