God’s grace, peace
and mercy be with you. … My focus is First Corinthians where we read, “Your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit … Glorify God in your body.”
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go
to the house of the Lord.’”[1] Now that our feet are
within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit
enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we
pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
On January 22,
1973, the Supreme Court invalidated 50 state laws and made abortion legal and
available on demand throughout the United States in the now-infamous decision of
Roe v Wade.[2] Although main stream media
under-report the story, nearly 100,000 people annually gather in the March for
Life in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of thousands more march in San Francisco, Chicago
and state capitals throughout the nation.
Next Sunday is
Life Sunday in The Lutheran Church, and with that in mind, today I focus on
three P’s – the people of Corinth, the passage we heard and a pro-life church.
First, the people
of Corinth.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]
Nevertheless, Paul loved them so much that he spoke to them as a father speaks
to his sons, “Act like men. Be strong.[6]
Imitate me.”[7]
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.[8] Their reasoning went like
this.[9] 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.”[10] 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.’[11]
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.”[12] 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.[13]
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 people who bring me the most joy are our grandchildren, Emma,
Henry, Levi and Kinley. Fortunately, they are all healthy children.
Unfortunately, not all children are as healthy as our grandchildren. You are
aware that each week, we pray for Gage, who is a four-year-old boy affected by
brain cancer. So, not all babies 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.[14]
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.[15]
“…
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.[16]
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.
Support Lutherans
for Life and agencies that promote the sanctity of life. If you cannot March in
Washington, mail a letter to your public servants. 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.[17]
Imitate me.”[18] When you send that
message, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your heart
and mind in Christ Jesus.[19] Amen.
[2] http://marchforlife.org/about-us-2/
[3]
Luke Timothy Johnson, The Writings of the
New Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress Press (2010). 261ff.
[8]
Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, 1 Corinthians. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, Inc.
(1979). 39ff.
[9]
Murphy-O’Connor, 51f.
[11]
Murphy-O’Connor, 52.
[13]
See LCMS Life Ministries strives to achieve the following goals at http://www.lcms.org/life
[14] http://liveactionnews.org/if-down-syndrome-parents-wont-defend-their-right-to-life-then-who-will/
[15] http://liveactionnews.org/pregnant-couples-who-plan-to-abort-down-syndrome-babies-defend-their-choice/
