July 8, 2007 - Pentecost 6, Year C
Saint James Episcopal Church, Saint James, NY

Last week, I visited a friend. We went plant shopping, talked, had dinner, and said goodbye.
And then, of course, I thought of all the things I had meant to say, news of friends, following up a gift I'd sent on her behalf, nothing major, just the leftovers of conversation.
I ended up sending her a note
telling her those last few things.

Our reading today from Paul's letter to the Galatians
has some of the feel of that note I wrote my friend.
It's kind of disconnected,
a list of things that Paul seems to have wanted to say
but somehow didn't quite get round to
in the main part of the letter.
It's not helped by the fact
that the designers of our lectionary
decided to leave out three verses in the middle of it all,
the three verses
that remind us that this is the end,
and distinguish between the practical advice for th church
of the first half of our reading,
and the summary theology
of the last few verses.
Because that's what we have here,
a reminder, at the end,
of the big picture,
and before that some of the details
of what living in the context of this big picture
is like. And those details, in turn
point us back further into the letter to the Galatians.

And what Paul is talking about, in essence, is what it means
to be a healthy church, one that is at peace and that reflects the character of Christ.
His picture, as he describes it here and also in other places in the New Testament,
is of something organic, a body, where everything and everyone
is integrally connected.
We belong to Christ, and because of that
we belong to one another.

So with that as our background, that as our context,
let's look at what Paul has to say.
He begins with "My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted."
This is one of those things
that some of us like to hear
while it makes others of us want
to run and hide.
It all depends
which side of it
you think you stand on.

For some of us, who are upright, good kinds of people,
we like this. It suggests boundaries, a sense of order,
the provision of a way
of making sure
that standards
are maintained.
For others of us
who have experienced people trying to correct us
it makes us want to leave the church, if it gives others the right
to criticize us for any and every reason.

But I think there's something different going on here. For a start, the transgressions are not minor things. This is not about correcting someone who doesn't act in the way we are accustomed, who doesn't dress the way we expect, who doesn't do things the way we like them done. It's about much more substantial things: Paul lists them in chapter five of Galatians: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. And that list should probably give us pause.
Of course, we say, of course we as the church shouldn't tolerate fornication, of course we shouldn't tolerate sorcery, of course we shouldn't tolerate drunkenness. But what about the other ones — jealousy, dissensions, factions. If we're honest, we have to admit
that these are the very things
that churches are often known for. And that most of us get into
one way or another — gossiping, being negative about others, only talking with people like us.
And all of them, whether the big ones or the ones we tend to think of as minor, all of them
eventually work to undermine
relationships,
to undermine
that organic connectedness
that is an essential characteristic
of the church.

And if you read it carefully, what Galatians says
is not that we should go around correcting people
but rather
that when people have transgressed, we should restore them, restore them with the characteristics that the Holy Spirit places in us, with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
In other words, our job isn't to point the finger,
but to welcome people back,
caring for them, being part of their healing.
That's what forgiving is all about — not saying it doesn't matter,
but saying no matter what you have done,
we welcome you.
That's what Christ did for us.

And I think it's telling
that alongside the advice to welcome transgressors back
is the advice to be careful we don't get tempted ourselves.
Tempted, I suspect, not necessarily to do the same things they did,
but rather
to act as if the relationship is still broken,
to think ourselves better than they are,
to be impatient,
to be harsh,
instead of focusing on rebuilding our relationships
with love and joy and peace, with patience and kindness, generosity and faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

That's the first things Paul has to say. Welcome people — everyone — even the ones
who've made a mess of their lives. Welcome them back.

Second, Paul writes, "Bear one another's burdens," and then he goes on to say, "All must carry their own loads." Sometimes you have to wonder what Paul was on. You would think he would notice
that just a couple of sentences apart
he's saying opposite things.

But again, think about this not just as individuals, but as this thing called the church, this body.
Normally, if your body is working properly, each part does it's own thing.
Each foot
carries the same weight, each shoulder operates equally, each neck muscle
bears the weight of the head. And if one foot were to decide
it didn't want to be part of this walking thing any more,
we'd be hopping along and looking
really stupid.
If any part of our body
were to just decide not to work,
everything else
would be off balance.
What we need, to be able to function fully,
is for every part of the body
to do it's job.

And it's the same for the church.
Each and every one of us, according to Paul,
has been given a gift, and each and every one of us
is to use it,
to pull our weight
for the sake of the whole body,
for the sake of Christ.

But — and here's where the paradox comes in —
but
if one part of the body isn't able to function
then the whole body works together
to help out,
to lift that one part's burden.
When I injured a muscle in my shoulder
the other muscles compensated for it. It's not perfect — I still can lift much — but I can function.

And it's the same for the church.
When one part of the body, one of the members
can't carry their load — whether it's because of sickness, or stress, or whatever —
then the other parts need to be willing to step in and help bear that one's burden.
The church isn't a place where we can be freeloaders. Each and every one of us
has a part to play.

And that's what builds a healthy, vibrant community — that combination
of being willing to pull our weight
for the sake of the whole
and the willingness to help out with others, and bear their burdens as well.
Because it's not just that the things that need to be done get done.
What it is
is that church becomes a place
where each of us is important
and each of us is committed
and each of us
is looking out
for others.
It becomes a place where we are known
and safe
and know
that we
belong.

So, Paul's advice for the church is
welcome one another.
And bear and share our burdens.

And what holds it all together
is this piece of advice:
"So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith."

Work for the good of all.
Because being part of the church
is being part of something that we do
not just for ourselves
but for one another
and for Christ.
And so everything we do
should be for the good of one another, the good of the church — whether it's welcoming back people who've made mistakes
or letting go of our pride enough
when we make mistakes
that we can accept
forgiveness,
or choosing the way of peace and gentleness
rather than gossip and strife.
Whether it's pulling our own weight
in the work of the gospel
or helping someone else
with their burden.

It's keeping our focus
outward, on Christ
and on one another,
so that our church becomes a place
where we are profoundly connected,
a place of safety and trust
and belonging
grounded in our savior
Jesus Christ
who welcomes us
and forgives us
and commissions us
as the people of God
messengers
of the gospel.

©Raewynne J.Whiteley, 2007