“When Everyone Counts” – I Cor. 12:12-31 – January 21, 2006

One time a professor gave his students a pop quiz. The last question on the quiz read, “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" The students thought it was some kind of joke. One student had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but he couldn’t remember her name. He handed in his paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, another student asked the professor if the last question would count toward their quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello.’" Only one student knew the answer to the question because she had taken time to get to know the cleaning woman. Her name was Dorothy.

I believe that Paul is telling the Church at Corinth that they need to know and respect the Dorothy’s in their midst. Apparently those with more prestigious positions had developed a “we-they” attitude. They were inconsiderate of folks who had lesser roles. They had failed to realize that the success of the church depended on the interdependence of everyone.

Paul used the metaphor of the body. “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.” He goes on to say, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.” This was exactly the professor’s point by having his students name the cleaning lady at the school. He wanted them to understand that they needed to relate to everyone and that those whose jobs seemed less important were still valuable to the whole.

Paul wanted the church to grow. He wanted there to be harmony and fellowship. Attempts to exclude people because they were different, or attitudes that made some folks superior to others would seriously hinder the mission of the church. By using the body as a metaphor for the church, Paul was emphasizing the point that every part is connected and every part of the body is important.

Since we are all different it is not always easy to relate to one another. People are threatened by strangers, folks who are from other places, or who represent other points of view. People are afraid of diversity. They feel secure when things and people are familiar. They want to protect their tradition and image. But Paul concerned himself with mission. In other words, it isn’t necessary that we are all the same. What really matters is that we are all working together for the common good and for the glory of God.

I was at a meeting last week with some of my colleagues. Several of them had driven from Cincinnati on I-75 to come to the meeting. At the Monroe exit there is a Pentecostal church that has a huge statue of Jesus. Jesus is waste deep in a pond with his arms stretched up to the heavens. One of my colleagues jokingly referred to the church as the “touchdown Jesus church.” We all had a good laugh. But, as it turned out another colleague told us that the pastor there was her cousin. She could easily see why some church folks could make fun but she also said that the church did a lot of good. Their ministry reaches many passing semi-truck drivers. The Pentecostal experience isn’t for everyone but it does reach some folks.

Those of us in the “mainline” church can’t say to the Pentecostal, “We have no need of you,” just as the Pentecostals can’t say to we mainliners, “We have no need of you.” We are all a part of the body of Christ.

Although Paul’s message was for the church, I believe it can also be applied to other areas in life. Take families for example. Those who are different from the rest of the clan tend to be ostracized. Just about every family I know has at least one “black sheep” in the family.

I had some good friends who had three sons. The oldest son was an athlete just like his father and he had a very promising career in baseball. His father played for Florida State and even made it to the minor leagues. Their youngest son was very handsome. He became a model for magazines and appeared in television commercials. The middle son, however had Down Syndrome. It was very difficult for the father to accept the fact that his second son was different. He would never play baseball and neither would he appear on television. We had many conversations as to why this second son could not be like the others. There were no simple answers.

All three boys had the same parents, same home and lived in the same environment, but one was different. But, the second son was different is some other ways. He was always smiling and he was very loving. His mother accepted him as he was and encouraged her husband to do the same. She loved her three sons equally. When their middle son reached the age of seven a friend of the family invited them to let him participate in Special Olympics. The father was reluctant at first but he finally gave in. Their middle son was extremely happy participating in Special Olympics and he eventually won some awards. After a time, his father finally came to the realization that his second son, although different, was just as important as the other two.

Just as the second son of my friends was special so is everyone. I believe that Paul is reminding us here that everyone counts. Each person has their own gifts and it is sorrowful to leave anyone out. Paul concluded his message with these words; “If one member suffers, all suffer together. If one member is honored, all rejoice together.”

In my own family one of my brothers recently moved to the mountains in Tennessee. He lives in a remote rural area. If you look out his kitchen window you see nothing but cow pastures. It’s hard for my brothers and I, who grew up in the suburbs, to accept the fact that our youngest brother is basically a “hillbilly.”

When I talked with him over Christmas he told me for the first time in his life he was really content. He didn’t miss the drive to work in Orlando, Florida, where he had 52 traffic lights. Life where he is now is much more simplistic, laid back and he is really enjoying living in the country.

We humans have a tendency to establish a set of patterns and behavior we call normal. Anyone who deviates from that is labeled “different,” or “weird,” or considered an outcast. But Paul wants us to accept the fact that each of us is a unique individual whom God created. Therefore the challenge for those of us in the church is not just to attract more people but to appreciate and maximize the personalities and talents that are already here. What really matters is creating an atmosphere where every individual can live up to their full potential and be who there are, not what we want them to be.

Back in 1832, a young frontiersman in the U.S. Army went to war against the Fox and Sauk Indians in what was known as the Black Hawk war. At the beginning of the war, this young man was a captain. Now war is a terrible thing, but there is one thing about it that soldiers love, promotions. If you go to war and survive, you were pretty well assured a rapid rise through the ranks. Sure enough, by the end of the war the young frontiersman was no longer a captain, he was now a private.

Now, how a soldier can go from captain to private without committing treason is beyond me, but he did. He was undoubtedly the worst Indian fighter in history. As a military officer, he was an abject failure. And by what we know now, he must have been pretty miserable as an enlisted man, too, for his fall through the ranks didn’t end until he was on the very bottom.

Can you imagine the humiliation he must have suffered? Well, at war’s end, this skinny, awkward, funny-looking young man looked for other things to do. Eventually, he found his niche, and even achieved a measure of success. He became president of the United States. His name was Abraham Lincoln. (From; “There are different gifts, but one Spirit,” January 17-18, 1998, United Catholic Church Web Site, Rmbowman.com)

Paul realized there were people in the Church at Corinth who were overlooked and under- appreciated. The vitality of the faith community however, was dependent on the inclusion of everyone, regardless of their role. The primary goal was to be one body of Christ. All of life is much more fulfilling when there is a variety of personalities, a mix of family histories and a myriad of ideas. Life always reaches its’ full potential when everyone counts.

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