I Cor. 1:10-18 -- homily on unity

1 Corinthians 1:10-18: “Power in Christ”

By Loy Mershimer

Have you ever noticed how sin affects relationships?

Sin causes separation from God, and others.

Think of something as basic as a child fighting with parents: The child will retreat to his or her room, shut the door, and separate from the family. Or, think of a simple argument between spouses. Driving down the road, their body language tells the story: husband on one side of car, wife on other…each pressing against the opposite side!

Who knows, maybe some of us drove here today like this… :-)

Relationships can be a barometer of sin: we can check the sin factor by looking at relations, because sin leads to brokenness, internal idolatry and selfishness, it leads to division and factions, person against person…

It is really sad, but his happens in churches too: divisions, factions, cliques.

That is what we find in today’s text: it is a Corinthian text. The Corinthian church was a troubled church, where relationships suffered. Some members tried to lord it over others in worship and church life.

They would even discriminate at table, and love feasts…where those who were wealthy would eat the good food before the poor arrived…to eat the leftovers.

And this was the fellowship of Christ? I don’t think so…!

They had issues. Here in the first paragraphs of the letter, Paul says, “Why are you breaking apart in little groups?”

Verse 12: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

Verse 13: [Rhetorical questions] Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

Paul highlights the sign of separation and sin: little groups of people, who ‘think like me,’ look like me, act like me…

Here the text addresses a very current problem:

If separation is a sign of sin, what should we do about our relationships that are broken?

If factions are a sign of sin, what should we say about recent statistics that show Chicago is becoming more segregated in where people choose to live?

If factions are a sign of sin, what should we say about a church world that is all about separation from those other than us?

In a quote that I will highlight in my annual report, Dr. MLK, Jr. says, “Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America.”

Isn’t this an example of sin?

The text asks of us an essential question: when we enter Christ’s spiritual cure, shouldn’t there be reconciliation -- reconciliation with those other than ourselves…reconciliation in our personal relationships?

Separateness reveals a kind of idolatry: As William Loader says, ‘The Corinthians were putting certain leaders into a place that really belonged only to God.’* This kind of action gives the self a certain sense of power, as ‘my person’ is in power…it is grasping toward control: a subtle reflection of self idolatry.

This happens in families: parents begin to play children off of the other spouse, for power, using children a means of control; it happens when children play parents off of one another: ‘But mom told me I could!’ :-)

What can be done?

In looking this kind of disunity in the Corinthian church, the Apostle essentially says, “I am glad that I only knew the simple power of the Cross among you.”

Verse 17: For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel -- not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Verse 18: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For the problem of separation, Paul gives the theology of the cross: In its simple form: That on this tree, the very Son of God gave his life that we might have life…to unite us with God and then with one another. This is the simple gospel, the wisdom of God for our salvation.

The word is unity and its power is the cross.

In my growing up years, I never could understand…when I got into a fight with one of my brothers, why our parents would make us apologize and hug one another.

This usually took the form of my father, correcting us and then demanding that we say ‘Sorry’ to the other…and then hug them to show we meant it. A hug! Right! :-) I mean, at the moment, the last thing I wanted was to hug my brother. Sometimes it was all I could do to get my arms around…and grit out the unfelt word -- "sorry!"

But, looking back, I see the wisdom of my father: it was Christian wisdom; he understood the call of unity. There was power, even when we didn’t feel it, to act out unity…to live it, act on it, in spite of emotions.

It is this word of unity, action empowered by the Cross, which Paul offers the Corinthians.

And this is the power of the Cross: where there is separation, it can bring unity; where there is broken relation, it can bring restoration – renewing us to God and others…even in spite of ourselves.

For the whole sermon, email Parkview at parkviewpresby@yahoo.com

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*William Loader, “First Thoughts on Year A Epistle Passages from the Lectionary” http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/AEpEpiphany3.htm