Care for One Another
Notes
Transcript
Today we are going to continue in our summer sermon series looking at some of the “one another” commands that we find in Scripture and some practical ways in which we can make changes in our lives in relation to these commands. We talked about encouraging one another, praying for one another, valuing or considering one another, comforting one another and showing hospitality toward one another. At the end of each of those messages we ended with several practical steps we might take to improve how we do with these commands in our own lives. We’ve been challenged to let God point out to us how we are doing and what we might do differently as we continue to allow him to transform us. I hope that we all have taken these to heart as we considered how we might be able to work on how we might become more intentional about live life among each other.
As we get started, I have a question for you to think about. What do you think of when I ask you what it looks like to care for others? What have you done lately to show care for others? In these current days, there are likely no shortage of ways to care for each other.
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being 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 stop being 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?
18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
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,
23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,
24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
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.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
When John Lennon wrote the words of his hit song “Imagine,” he had a completely different world in mind than the one he saw. He imagined peace and harmony among all people. He imagined a world with no more war, no more murder and no more poverty. The sad part of the song, though, is that the key to Lennon’s utopia was a world without God. Lennon imagined a world without God to be a more peaceful and loving place.
This morning I want us to use our imagination to envision a world that is not unlike Lennon’s utopia. But, of course, the key to our new world will not be the absence of God, but rather the fullness of God and His Spirit. We know that God exists. We see His hand at work in the world, throughout history, and even in our own lives. We have experienced His love and grace. We have been changed into new creatures by His very hands.
But imagine with me, if you can, a world where a unified body of Christ carries the burdens of one another. Imagine with me this church unified in the Spirit, working together for one purpose, every person who claims this church as their church. Imagine with me Hope Community caring so much for others that we would begin to reach our community our friends because we CARE and to show the Love of Jesus.
Imagine the peace, the Shalom Peace of God that would fill the earth if every one of us shared the heavy load of others in this life. Pictures of poverty would not fill our televisions. Food pantries would spill over in abundance. The homeless would find shelter, and the fatherless would find protection. Can you imagine?
Let’s take a look at the world of insects to gain some insight on the subject.
Solomon wrote recorded in Proverbs 6:6, “Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider its ways and be wise!”
The book of Proverbs boasts of the wisdom of some of the smallest creatures on earth: ants. When it comes to community and caring for one another’s needs, ants get it. All summer, with no one giving orders, no boss handing out time cards, ants ALL WORKING TOGETHER, GATHERING enough food that will last them all winter.
And it’s not every ant for himself. They gather as a team. They keep the food in common and share with everyone equally. As a team they are able to carry pieces of food hundreds of times bigger than they could by themselves. Think of it this way: insects go hand in hand with terms like swarms, hives, and nests. Insects come in packs. They live together, work together, and if Walt Disney has taught us anything, they even play together.
Some of you will remember the movie Antz. Most insect’s entire existence hinges upon community. These communities provide the basic needs of life for everyone involved: food, shelter and water.
People do not like the idea of dependence as we saw in the example of ants. We like our independence and many of us do not want to be defined by others or need others. We view dependence as a weakness or deficiency. We see Paul talking about a picture of a harmonious community which sounds great doesn’t it?!? However, many do not really want this type of community if it takes away from their independence.
When we look at the type of community that Paul is describing here, it is more like a complementary interdependence. The church is to be complementary, where each member brings something to the table that others need and is enhanced by our interdependence on each other.
The metaphor we see in this passage is how we are reliant on the parts of our bodies and notice when a part is missing or is not functioning correctly. Most of you know that I am nearly deaf in one ear. I don’t think about it much now as it has been 20 years, however, when it first happened I found myself having to adjust big time. Even today, when I hear noise or speaking I automatically look right first, as everything sounds like it on my right side.
Paul extends this metaphor to the body of Christ, of which all believers are a part. In verse 27, we see
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
The church cannot function as a collection of separate individuals, but is supposed to function as a body. We see this in each member’s indispensability. Look at verse 21-24:
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,
23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,
24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
Here is something that many Christians need to hear. We are all deathly afraid of being dispensible - we do not want to be used and tossed aside. We are concerned sometimes constantly about how we fit in and if we are accepted. In the church, we should not be worried about such things. If we are truly a body as we see described by Paul, we care and are concerned for others to the point that we all know that we are a vital member of the community and are cared for, accepted, and indispensible.
Preaching the Word: 1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross The Beauty of Interdependence
If an individual who has back problems reaches for something and injures his back, the other parts of the body would have to compensate for the role his back plays in his body. As he is trying to brush his teeth he has to lean over a certain way. If he has to bend his knees, he needs to put one of his arms down on the counter to help support his weight. What if his arm doesn’t want to help and says to his back, “You should have gone to the gym to work out.” But this is not the way different parts of the body react. It instinctively reacts and responds. If one part gives way, if it has difficulties, if there are deficiencies, other parts will naturally compensate. If there is an injury, of course other parts are going to be inconvenienced, but this is the nature of what it means to exhibit the beauty of interdependence.
This is a great picture of what it should look like to show care for each other in the body of Christ. We suffer together with each other when one is suffering. We rejoice together with each other when one rejoices. We all have different gifts and abilities and all have a part in the mission that God has called us to.
In my opinion, the true beauty of the interdependence that we are talking about is when we express it through mutual care for each other. When we are unified in mission and in our care and concern for each other, we will better positioned to show love and care for others outside the body of Christ. Picture it this way. If your hand were to go rogue and decide that it no longer wanted to serve the body for whatever reason, it would bring harm to the body. It is the same within the body of Christ.
Now let’s talk for just a few minutes about some practical ways that we can show care for one another:
Figure out what support people might need. Everyone is different so it’s important to ask how you can help and then really listen to what they say. Make sure that the ways you offer to help are what they need, not what you think they need or what you would want someone to do for you. It’s easy to assume you know what they need, but it’s crucial that you ask!
Find ways to serve them. This might include helping them get to appointments or picking up prescriptions, or maybe even helping them figure out their finances if they are not able.
Visit people. Normally I would say visit people in their homes or in the hospital if they are there. In these times, that can be a bit difficult, but maybe visit with them outside or via some sort of a video chat. Let people know you care even if you cannot visit in person.
Help people with chores or errands that they have. Maybe they need help cleaning or doing laundry. These are great ways to care for people, even if it is to help them through a time where they cannot do it for themselves.
Random acts of kindness. Here are some ideas: Do something nice for someone and add a nice message. Leave an extra big tip for the food server and tell them why their service is outstanding. Visit a senior center and ask to hear an elderly person’s life story. Leave a message about why their life made a difference. Mow a neighbor’s lawn, rake their leaves, shovel a sidewalk and leave an anonymous Care Card. Send a Care Card to an elderly person who has been an influence in your life.
Send someone a card with a handwritten note. Maybe it is to thank them for something, or maybe it is just to tell them that you care or for well wishes.
Help someone with their mental wellness. Here are some ideas: Tell someone why they make your life better. Thank someone for making a difference in your life. (Example: You Matter Because…you taught me to be proud of who I am.) Tell someone you love them. Tell a friend how they have inspired you to be a better person. (Example: You Matter Because…you inspired me to give back to our community.) Give a friend a boost when they are struggling. Tell someone why they are your hero. Explain why you look up to someone. Describe the impact someone has on you. Tell someone why you believe in them. Tell someone how they rocked it. Share why someone should be hopeful. Tell someone why their future is bright.
In closing, when we are truly unified we will care for one another in both tangible ways to support each other physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
So what’s holding us back? What keeps Our church from caring for each other’s needs and seeing Kingdom building? We have been called to carry these burdens. To be the church means to be a community of believers that carry one another’s burdens, both physically and spiritually. Imagine what the Church would look like if each of its members would share the weight of the load.
The world would only be able to stand in wonder. Opponents of the Church would be silenced by the overwhelming display of charity. Think of the great humanitarian figure Mother Teresa. She dedicated her life to carrying the burdens of the poor and sick and fatherless of Calcutta. She sacrificed luxury and comfort. Have you ever heard anyone say a bad word about her? She lived a life of love, and her life was a witness to the whole world. Her life was a witness to a world that openly hates God.
Not even the world can speak ill against love in action.
We have to focus on being the church that God designed and all of these one anothers that we are talking about are a vital part of that.
Let’s Pray
BENEDICTION: Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.—Hebrews 13:20–21