“Encanto” - Stronger together
Sermon on 1 Corinthians 12
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer. (Psalm 19)
Dear Saints, dear bodies of Christ, dear body of Christ!
Luisa is strong. Like really strong. She can lift mountains. She can carry churches. And 4 donkeys at the same time. If anyone needs any help with anything, she will run and help out. No questions asked. No payment accepted. She knows, if she cannot handle something, no one can. Which is why she will always handle anything.
Luisa takes pride in her abilities, in her strength, in her endurance. She loves the feeling of being needed. It makes her feel worthy of being loved. Others depend on her and admire her. She really has a purpose in life. It’s great. She likes to sing:
“I move mountains
I move churches
And I glow ’cause I know what my worth is
I don’t ask how hard the work is
Got a rough, indestructible surface.”
Luisa is tired. The work never seems to end. The needs never seem to decrease. No matter how hard she works, how many hours she puts in. There is always something else or someone else. She would really like to take a break. But then, who will step up? Who will fill in for her? Right, there is nobody. She just has to keep going.
“A light wind blows
You try to stop it tumbling
But on and on it goes, but wait
If I could shake the crushing weight
Of expectations would that free some room up for joy?
Or relaxation? Or simple pleasure?”
Luisa is afraid. Afraid to show weakness. To let her family and friends, her neighbors and community down. But, when she is honest, that’s only part of the truth. She also isn’t sure who she is when she isn’t being the strong one. What will people see in her if she stops doing everything all the time? Will they be disappointed. Will they think she is ill and losing her powers? Will they pity her? But worse than that are her self-doubts.
“Under the surface
I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service”.
And so, she keeps on going. Telling herself she is doing it for the others. While knowing that she doesn’t know what to do otherwise. She is stuck, exhausted, afraid. And she loves what she is doing for the people around her.
Luisa is caught in a dilemma. And when she finally realizes it, her powers suddenly fade. The worst happens. She doesn’t seem to have a purpose anymore. She feels worthless. She desperately tries to hide her weakness. Of course, that doesn’t really work.
If you have already watched the new Disney movie “Encanto” you have recognized Luisa Madrigal. The strongest, oldest sister among the gifted grandkids. If you haven’t watched it yet, watch it! It’s an incredible movie and you don’t have to be a kid to love it. Promised. The entire story could be watched as a church’s struggle trying to be independent and perfect and good and generous in giving to the community. While forgetting that they are surrounded by a community that would love to be more than just served or be an admiring audience. Ok, I will stop here, I don’t want to spill the beans.
Luisa is the perfect example of a most committed volunteer or church worker. She is the arm of the community. Which basically turns her village into a one-armed body of people. Symbolically speaking. One person being the one arm in that image of the body of Christ that the apostle Paul is so passionate about in today’s reading. The body of Christ that’s made out of many members. And while he doesn’t specifically name most of the body parts, there are some he names. The feet and hands, the ears and eyes. And the sense of smell. Which feels a little bit random to be honest. Maybe Paul had lost his sense of smell at one point? And therefore really values getting it back? This is pure guessing. But I know some of you can relate. And will never take smells for granted again.
Now, the idea to symbolize a healthy community as a body wasn’t Paul’s. It was a common one among philosophers and people in power. Most often, it was used to support the social hierarchy (whether of the family, or the city, or the empire as a whole). The point was that every “body” needs a head to live and think and make decisions. In a society that was provided by the wealthy, the rulers, and the elite. Sure, every ideal “body” also needs hands and feet to do the hard and dirty work. That was provided in society by just about everyone else. The image worked perfectly to maintain and stabilize a hierarchical society.
Paul, as seems to be one of his favorite things to do, draws on the same image, as if to say “Look, I am speaking your language, I am one of you!”. And then, he turns the point in the opposite direction. First of all, he claims that no member of the body, no body part is worth less than any other in its function. “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.” Which really is the ultimate argument in a Christian or Jewish context.
Yet, Paul isn’t done yet. It gets even niftier. The hierarchy even gets turned on its head. “ 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.”
Yes, that’s right. Whoever we perceive as weaker or maybe even indispensable (like sure, you could live with just one foot or one arm but not without your one head), the more honorable that body part, that member, that person in our community is. Why? Because the head doesn’t need to be reminded of its worthiness. Everyone will agree on that because without the head the body will die. But the arm might need reassurance that it’s worthy, no matter whether it can do the work or not. Because, first of all, there are 2 arms. And secondly, rest is important.
Otherwise, the muscles will get sore and hurt and maybe even get pulled. And that’s no fun! If I were to ask you which body part you are in the body of Christ, what would be your answer? Are you a great listener? Are you good at sharing your stories? Or are you the hands-on person changing the lights and the paraments on the altar. Maybe you are someone walking around making sure that people have food and clothes? Are you the arm carrying tables and chairs for people to relax and to connect? Are you the nose making sure that there are fresh flowers on the altar and that the wine doesn’t turn bad? And, how are you with that? Is there maybe something else you would like to do or be instead? But you can’t do it in addition to all your duties and of course, you can’t stop what you are doing because who would take over from you? Sounds somewhat familiar?
There are so many ideas we have, so many things we want to do, so many people we want to reach or connect with or help. I experience brainstorming what could be possible as life-giving, as energizing and uplifting, giving us a purpose for why we are here. It’s so much fun to think about hosting an art exhibition with a pre-school at church. Of envisioning neighborhood gatherings around a shared meal. Of dreaming about concerts in our sanctuary. Faces start glowing, eyes begin to sparkle. It’s almost magical.
That is until the real planning begins. The “Who does what”. From feeling like we could move mountains and churches and neighborhoods the group mode usually changes quickly to looks of exhaustion and tiredness. Who is left to start a new project? Who has the energy and the physical capacity? Who has the time? Everyone is already doing so much, giving so much of their time and talents to their church. Most of you wear more than one “hat” in your church.
And I know, you love it. And it’s great. And it’s exhausting. But, of course, we can’t admit that openly because who else would do the work? We don’t want to let anybody down or pile another task on someone else’s shoulders. So, we all keep going. Afraid that others might have to step away or move away. Feeling the burden that comes with less people doing so much.
Sometimes, it feels just like too much. Like our small church body is too old or small or both.
Because we often confuse the body of Christ with our home church. Not that we are not the body of Christ. We are. We are just not the body of Christ in its entirety. In our small churches, it might feel like there is just one arm left or one hand or one eye. It might feel like we are giving everything we have and it’s still hardly enough to survive.
And then, Paul reminds us of the body of Christ. Made out of many members. Citywide, Synod-wide, even Worldwide! Paul reminds us that no member is worth less, no body part is worthless.
In the movie, Luisa learns the hard way that she doesn’t have to do it all by herself.
What will be our learning path? After all, “26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” Why? 13 “For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” And, we are fed with the body of Christ. To be the body of Christ. Here, in Tri-City! With many hands and feet and arms and eyes.
I am starting to get excited by the mere possibilities. The dreams that could be not just dreamed but followed through. The joy to help each other carry the load and enjoy the meal at the tables we all carried out. One day. God willing. Amen.
