This week, the Lutheran Church holds its
annual life conference in Washington. Our students entered the essay contest
sponsored by Lutherans for Life. Today is Life Sunday, and I focus on three P’s
– the people of Corinth, the passage we heard and a pro-life church.
First, the people of Corinth.[ii] … Our knowledge of early
Christianity would be diminished considerably without Paul’s letters to the
Corinthians. We find in them a portrait of a community whose life was a mixture
of confusion, pettiness and ambition, combined with enthusiasm and fervor. The
community struggled to define its identity as the church of God in a complex
and sophisticated urban setting.
The letters also reveal Paul’s
relationship with the beloved but stubborn community he founded. This relationship
forced Paul to delineate his understanding of his mission and apostleship, and
the implications of these for his authority.
Corinthians were the first to face the
problems that proved to be perennial for all Christian communities: how to live
in holiness and freedom within the structures of society. Here, we discover the
difficulty of defining an identity within a pluralistic context. These days, we
turn to the Letters to think about issues and rely upon principles to solve problems.
In other words, these letters guide us as we struggle with issues and try to
identify ourselves as a Christian community in a pluralistic world.
As a people, Corinthians were difficult.[iii] Their faults came from their
overenthusiasm for the powers of the Spirit. Spiritual elitism infected the
community. Some were so awed by their knowledge, freedom and capacity for
ecstatic speech that they considered themselves fully mature and perfect. They
judged each other while neglecting the moral demands of Christ. This elitism
led to factions that Paul addressed in the first chapters.
To know what kind of people Corinthians
were, examine chapter 13, often read at weddings. They were not patient or kind,
but thought only about themselves. Arrogant and rude, they sang their own
praises. Irritable and jealous, they kept track of wrongs. They were happy with
injustice and not the truth. Some stopped believing and hoping. Others gave up.[iv] Nevertheless, Paul loved
them so much that he spoke to them as a father speaks to his sons, “Act
like men. Be strong.[v]
Imitate me.”[vi]
From people to passage, my second point.
In chapter 6, Paul addressed the importance of the body. Corinthians believed
that no physical action had any moral significance.[vii] Their reasoning went
like this.[viii] The body has no
permanent value because death sweeps it away. Because God permits the
destruction of the body, anything done in and through the body has no moral
value. If no physical act has a moral character, anything goes. Eat what you
like. Do whatever you like with whomever you like.
That is not to say Corinthians denied
the possibility of sin. Sin was possible but only on the level of motive and
intention, and that you could not judge. This is why they said, “Every
sin a person commits is outside the body.” … They did not consider
themselves to be sinning because they did not intend to sin. They just did what
they felt like doing.
Paul sought to convince them there is no
such thing as purely spiritual Christianity. If Corinthians were to imitate
Christ, they had to accept that the body is the sphere in which commitment to
Christ becomes real.
Read verses 12-20 as a dialogue. Twice,
society said, “All things are lawful for me.” Paul said, “Not all things are helpful. … I
will not be dominated by anything.”
Society said, “A thing is good because I
want it.” Paul said, “Untrue. Conflict is inevitable because at some point your
desires encounter the needs or rights of others.” Paul pointed out not all
things I want are good or helpful, and if you follow society, then, to quote
the Eagles, “Somebody's gonna hurt
someone.”
Some actions tore apart the community
and destroyed the Christian’s freedom. When this occurs, Paul taught, the
Christian returns to the state of enslavement to sin. We read in Romans, “You
were slaves to sin. But I thank God you have become wholeheartedly obedient to
the teachings which you were given. Freed from sin, you were made slaves who do
what God approves.”[ix] Do not return to the
state of enslavement.
Paul then turned to the heart of
society’s argument. The basis of his counterargument was that God raised Christ
from the dead. Hence, God would raise those who are ‘in Christ.’[x]
Because the body is relevant to one’s
faith, Paul rejected the thought of Corinthian society that said, “Every
sin a person commits is outside the body.” Paul taught, “The
sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”
Here, Paul based his counterargument on
Genesis, where God’s creative creatures were to bring others to life. We read, “That
is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they
become one flesh.”[xi] To use the body for any
other selfish gratification was wrong – is wrong.
Paul helped Corinthians make the
connection between their acceptance of Christ as the risen Lord of Glory and
the implications for their lives. What God achieved through Christ was brought
about by his physical presence in the world. Humans needed to see living life that
imitated Christ was a real option and not merely an ideal to be discussed. The
physical presence of the bodies of individual believers was intended to produce
the same effect as that of Christ – bring others to salvation through Him.
If they were committed to Christ through
a confession of faith, and strengthened by Word and Sacrament, they had to show
the world their commitment through their physical bodies. They had to show
their commitment through their bodies.
Finally, from passage to a pro-life church.
One reason I joined the Lutheran Church is its support of traditional marriage
and human life. Our Biblical teaching of marriage – between one man and one
woman – and the sanctity of life – from conception until God calls us home in
His time – is God’s will for all people.
As Lutherans, we embrace the biblical
teaching regarding the sanctity of human life, with a clear Law and Gospel
approach according to the confessional witness of our church.[xii]
When we talk about the sanctity of life,
we include all stages of life, including abortion, euthanasia, care of the
developmentally disabled, chastity, education, medical research, adoption and
family life. As Christians committed to imitating Christ, we must educate
others about the consequences of abortion, and encourage the spiritual,
emotional and physical care of those experiencing post-abortion syndrome.
You know, next to my wife, the person
who brings me the most joy is our granddaughter, Emma. Fortunately, Emma is a
healthy one-year-old. Unfortunately, not all children are as healthy as Emma is.
Not all babies will have the same opportunities.
Life is not always easy. Sometimes people
struggle with complicated, messy choices. Expectant parents, who receive a
prenatal diagnosis that their child will have an extra chromosome resulting in
Down syndrome, choose to abort 90% of the time.[xiii]
Rayna Rapp, a former abortion clinic
worker who aborted a baby with Down syndrome herself, surveyed women and
couples who sought amniocentesis to screen for Down syndrome and other
problems. All interviewees intended to abort if the baby had Down syndrome. Here
are comments made by parents who intended to kill their babies if they turned
out to be challenged.[xiv]
“… I
couldn’t think about raising a child with Down’s. I’m something of a
perfectionist. I want the best for my child. I’ve worked hard, I went to
Cornell University, I’d want that for my child. I’m sorry I can’t be more
accepting, but I’m clear I wouldn’t want to continue the pregnancy.
I couldn’t
be that kind of mother who accepts everything, and loves her kid no matter
what. What about me? Maybe it’s selfish, I don’t know. But I just didn’t want
all those problems in my life.”
And
finally, “If he can’t grow up to have a shot at becoming the president, we
don’t want him.”
My friends, Bob and Ruth, are the
parents of three adult children – a son and two daughters. Their older
daughter, Liz, was born with Down syndrome. They chose life. Liz opened doors
for them that most parents cannot enter. Through support groups and other
activities, Bob and Ruth led rich, full, Christian lives.
Here is a story they told me. Bob and
Ruth agreed to become lay ministers in their church. They assist with communion
during worship and visit the homebound. When their pastor installed them as lay
ministers, Liz and her sister attended church with them. After the
installation, Bob and Ruth returned to their pew. Liz stood on the pew between
them, put one arm around each of them, and exclaimed loudly, “I’m so proud of you two!” They told me
it made them feel like a million bucks.
This should not surprise anyone who
knows people with Down syndrome. 79% of parents report their outlook on life is
more positive because of their child with Down syndrome.
Among adults with Down, 99% are happy
with their lives; 97% like who they are; and 96% like the way they look. You do
not find such numbers among the public. Down syndrome children grow up to be
happy adults.[xv]
As Christians, we are called to be happy
adults. That is, we are to live joyful, blessed lives ‘in Christ.’ We are to be
happy with our lives, because no matter our circumstances, we are ‘in Christ.’
We should be happy with our lives even
when we, like Corinthians, face problems that prove to be perennial, for our problems
are like those our grandparents and ancestors faced.
As Christians, we struggle to define our
identity as Church in a complex and sophisticated world. We grapple to live in
holiness and freedom within society’s pluralistic context.
Sometimes, like the Corinthians, we tend
to be arrogant, rude and irritable. At times, we think only about ourselves; do
whatever we choose, and do not consider ourselves sinners.
We may echo the parents quoted in Rapp’s
survey, and accept society saying that physical actions have no moral
significance. When we accept that reasoning, we must remind ourselves that God
the Father, who raised Christ from the dead, will raise us who are ‘in Christ.’
Otherwise, we, Christians freed from sin by Christ, return to the state of enslavement
to sin.
Brothers and sisters, our bodies will be
raised. Therefore, glorify God in your body for it is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Glorify God through your worship of the Trinity and your love of neighbor. Love
the least ones among you. Love the unborn.
In your bulletin is a flyer on the
sanctity of life. Support Lutherans for Life and agencies that promote the
sanctity of life. If you cannot March in Washington this week, mail a letter to
your public servants. If you cannot write an essay, send an email to your
representative in the House and Senate. Let them know that we value life from
conception to natural death. Let them know we do not accept everything society
deems as good, lawful and right. Tell them you live ‘in Christ.’ Tell them you
vote.
Friends, when you love the unborn, the
least among you, you love God. You send the message that Paul sent to the
Corinthians. “Act like men. Be strong.[xvi]
Imitate me.”[xvii]
When you send that
message, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your heart
and mind in Christ Jesus.[xviii] Amen.
[i] http://marchforlife.org/about-us-2/
[ii]
Luke Timothy Johnson, The Writings of the
New Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress Press (2010). 261ff.
[iii]
Johnson, 263.
[iv] 1
Corinthians 13:4-7
[v] 1
Corinthians 16:13
[vi] 1
Corinthians 4:16
[vii]
Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, 1 Corinthians. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, Inc.
(1979). 39ff.
[viii]
Murphy-O’Connor, 51f.
[ix]
Romans 6:17-18.
[x]
Murphy-O’Connor, 52.
[xi]
Genesis 2:24.
[xii]
See LCMS Life Ministries strives to achieve the following goals at http://www.lcms.org/life
[xiii]
http://liveactionnews.org/if-down-syndrome-parents-wont-defend-their-right-to-life-then-who-will/
[xiv] http://liveactionnews.org/pregnant-couples-who-plan-to-abort-down-syndrome-babies-defend-their-choice/
[xv]
Ibid.
[xvi]
1 Corinthians 16:13
[xvii]
1 Corinthians 4:16
[xviii]
Philippians 4:7
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