"I don't need you!"

This is a speech I made at my church recently. Enjoy.

What would Jesus think if he saw a church where some people were not content with what the church offered? Would he tell those people to get in line and live with it? Would he have the church change its practices to meet the needs of those people to the extent that the others felt abandoned? Would he have those who were discontent find a different church community that they felt better fulfilled their needs, though it would mean abandoning the church they called home?

Now, I'm not Jesus, so I don't innately know the answer to any of those questions. I don't suppose that that Jesus is hiding in the pews waiting to shout the answers either. We all know that though we each may ask Jesus for guidance in choosing the correct action to take, we don't and won't always agree on any one course of action. With that in mind, let's turn to one of the most influential leaders of the early church. Here are the words of Paul the Apostle:

1 Corinthians 12:12-13

[12]The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. [13]For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

One Body. The body is contains many parts, but it is still One body. "...And we were all given the one Spirit to drink." OK, so all of the diverse groups of the church are necessary to make it function properly, and each part is equal, having been baptized into Christ the same as any other. Let's continue.

1 Corinthians 12:15-17

[12]If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. [16]And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. [17]If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

None of the parts can say that they are not part of the church body. That seems clear. The last two sentences there seem very significant. "If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?" Without any single part of the body, the body cannot be complete; it cannot do what the whole body could have been able to. If part of the body is absent, the body as a whole is disabled.

1 Corinthians 12:21-26

[21]The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" [22]On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable ... [25]so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. [26]If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

It seems like Paul it trying to beat it into our heads. Each part is necessary and indispensable. Furthermore, each "should have equal concern for" the others. We all need to look out for the many diverse parts that make up our church, and ensure that all parts are equally served so that no part suffers.

If I may revisit those questions I started with, I think we can see answers to some of them more clearly. The church should serve the each portion of the body equally. Does that include equal service to the young and the old? I think so. That said it seems that this church is disabled. Those young adults you see before you today feel neglected by the church. We feel that the worship services are out of touch with our needs. We feel disconnected with the majority of the church body. In 1 Corinthians Paul clearly states that the youth should not abandon their church. Also, because each part is equal, the worship service should not leave any group feeling neglected. Neither should the service remain the same (because that neglects the youth), nor should it be changed in a way that neglects any other group.

By no means is the rift between parts of the church body the only problem our church faces, Neither is the youth the only group that feels neglected, but we felt it was time to draw attention to the problem. Looking at what Paul has to say, it should be a pressing concern; after all, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it." The church is disabled, or at least injured. Paul makes that clear too. The fact is that probably no single church community is free from problems. The church in Corinth that Paul wrote this letter to was considerably worse off than ours, but that in no way means that the scripture is any less relevant.

In chapter 13 we see Paul's solution. It is, purely and simply, Love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

[1]If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2]If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3]If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Everything we do on Earth is amounts to nothing without love. As such it should be our guide is our search for solutions.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

[4]Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5]It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6]Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7]It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

[8]Love never fails...

Many Concerns were raised when I first presented a draft of this speech. Many feared that it would inspire anger in the congregation. If you look at verse 5, it says that love is not easily angered, and we must remember that if love is to be our solution. We should not tally out complaints of others, nor try to mislead them. Love rejoices with the truth, and the truth is that there is a problem.

The solution is out there. With love, Paul tells us, we must always preserver in search of it. Most importantly, if our search embodies the love Paul tells us about, then we will not fail.

The youth recognize that there are problems in our church. We want to help solve them. Is it too much to ask that the church try to become more like Paul described, more like a single and whole body, rather than toss parts to the side for whatever reason? Who knows, maybe with a healthy body, the other illness our church faces will be able to heal. If that is the case, only by working together will the problems be mended.

Ephesians 4:16

[16]From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.