A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 9
November 2014, Wai Ji Sunday, by the Rev. Phyllis
Wong. The scripture readings that day were 1 Cor 12:12-27.
Today I would like to share with you a message about the
Body.
In 1 Cor 12:12-27
- Apostle Paul in the early church era has used the body as a parable to talk
about church unity. It can be applied to describe family, organization and
different kinds of community.
Embrace Diversity
As human beings, we all have our own body.
In our
body, there are different members: head, eyes, ears, mouth, hands and legs.
They are all visible. Invisible members include the heart, liver, stomach,
brain.
These members
in a body serve different purposes and help us to keep our life going strong and
happy.
It is God’s
will to create different members in a body. As described by Apostle Paul:
“Indeed, the body does not consist of
one member but of many. If the foot would say, ‘because I
am not a hand, I do not belong to the body.’ And if the ears would say,
‘because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body.’ That would not make it
less a part of the body.”
From the
parable of ONE body but different members, we may then appreciate the gift of
diversity given by God. As said in 1 Cor 12:17 : “if the whole body were eyes, where hearing be? If the whole body were
hearing, where would the sense of smell be?”
The diverse
creation of God enables us to enjoy richness in life. Eyes let us see beautiful
things and watch good movies, our ears help us to listen to uplifting music,
our mouth enables us to taste delicious food.
Members in one
body are different and yet they are equally important in God’s creation.
Equally, we are different and yet we are all valuable. There is no need to
compare and compete with each other.
There are
many members, yet one body. (v20) In our difference, we learn how to appreciate
and support each other. We learn how to humble ourselves to know we are unique
and yet we have our own limitations. We need to help and support each other to
contribute the best of ourselves. We need each other to build a better life and
create a world which is more loving, equal and harmonious.
We are all connected
United in
One Body in Christ and to embrace differences with acceptance is an ideal. There
are times we don’t accept weak members in our community. Apostle Paul challenged
the church community by saying - 1 Cor 12: 22-26:
“the members that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members
of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honor, and our
less respectable members are treated with greater respect where our more
respectable members do not need this. God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior
member, that there may be no dissension within the
body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If
one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all
rejoice together with it.”
Apostle
Paul teaches Christians in his time and today about caring for each other. With the parable of One Body, Paul
makes a strong notion of each member is connected as one in God through Christ.
We share the same spirit in God and same body in Christ. As One Body, we are
connected: one member suffers, all suffer together with it, if one member
honoured, all rejoice together with it. Your pain is my pain, your joy is my
joy.
Mentally
and physically challenged friends have been regarded as weak by the society and
even by their beloved families. These friends have not been well received and
respected if not totally rejected. The parable of ‘We are One Body’ in the love
of Christ has reminded us our mission to serve the weak and take them as part
of us.
As Wai Ji Christian
Service is celebrating her 35th birthday this year and KUC is
celebrating her 90th anniversary with a theme of “Where ALL are
ONE”, the body image of oneness is an important pointer for us.
At the end,
I would like to show you a bamboo cross with a hanged Jesus. I bought it from
the Philippines.
The broken
and suffering body of Jesus is heart-breaking. But it is a powerful image and
inspiration for us to remember We are ONE BODY in Christ.
Jesus’ forgiving love and gracious
sacrifice on the cross is our source of strength and guide in our quest to the
body of Christ and individual members of it. (v27)
Wai Ji’s
motto: “I came not to be served but to serve”. This is the word and deeds of
Jesus when he was on earth to fulfil his mission from God. I hope we all look
up to Jesus Christ. In our union with Jesus as One Body, we are strengthened
and committed to serve the Lord, to share the gospel and to honour God’s glory.
Amen.
「我們同屬一個身體」 經文：林前12：12-27 王美鳳牧師 9/11/2014
今日我同大家分享一個有關身體的訊息。
林前12:12-27—使徒保羅以身體比喻為教會群體，從而講及教會合一。身體的比喻也可應用到家庭，機構和其他社群
我們作為人，都有一個身體。
我們的身體都有不同的肢體，有可看見的眼耳口鼻手腳，有看不見的內藏－心、肝、胃、腦袋…不同的肢體保存我們的生命，令我們活得快樂。
是上主按其旨意創造身體，以及所有不同的肢體。正如使徒保羅指出：林前12:14-16
身子原不是一個肢體，乃是許多肢體。 設若腳說：「我不是手，所以不屬乎身子」，它不能因此就不屬乎身子。 設若耳說：「我不是眼，所以不屬乎身子」，它也不能因此就不屬乎身子。
合一的身體和眾多肢體的比喻，啟發我們去思考身子上不同的肢體，功能有別，正好反映上帝創造的奇妙和恩典。正如林前12：17所講，「若全身是眼，從那裡聽呢？若全身是耳，從那裡聞味呢？」身體裡不同的肢體和器官，展現不同功用，正是上帝容讓我們經歷生命和生活的豐富：視覺上，我們有眼可以看好的電影，欣賞美麗的大自然。聽覺上，耳朵讓我們可以聽優美的音樂。味覺上，口讓我們品嘗美食。
肢體不同，但屬於一個身體，讓我們肯定在上帝的創造裡，每個肢體都是獨特的，有價值的，也是平等的。我們毋須比較和互相競爭。
肢體不同，但屬於一個身體，在我們肯定和確認自己的同時，我們要承認自己的限制；我們需要學習尊重差異、和而不同，抱着謙卑和包容的態度，彼此欣賞，互相確認彼此的重要，互助配搭和支持，共同努力合作，活出更美好的生活和創造平等和諧互助的世界。
在基督合一的身體，擁抱多元和彼此接納是很理想的美事，現實上面對不少困難。特別當面對軟弱肢體又或問題肢體時，怎辦？保羅在林前12章 22-26節，提出挑戰：「人以為軟弱的，更是不可少的。 身上肢體我們看為不體面的，越發給它加上體面；不俊美的，越發得著俊美； 我們俊美的肢體，自然用不著裝飾。但神配搭這身子，把加倍的體面給那有缺欠的肢體， 免得身上分門別類，總要肢體彼此相顧。 若一個肢體受苦，所有的肢體就一同受苦；若一個肢體得榮耀，所有的肢體就一同快樂。」
使徒保羅提醒我們要彼此担當，肢體一同受苦，又一同得榮耀。這就是肢體聯系於基督同一個身體的奧秘，當我們連於一體時我們就不能分割。 你的受苦，就是我的受苦；你得光榮，就是我的光榮；你的快樂，也就是我的快樂。
智障人士常被家人和社會視為俊美，他們單未能獲得尊重和接納，更會被排斥。我們都是在 基督內的同一個身體，提醒我們關顧弱小和看來不俊美的肢體，因為他們都是上主所創造，並且是我們的一份子。
今年「基督教懷智服務處」(懷智) 慶祝三十五周年，九龍佑寧堂慶祝九十周年。佑寧堂慶祝主題是「合一」，「我們同屬一個身體」的教導，帶給我們實踐彼此聯系和合一相愛的重要亮光
最後，我想大家看看這個用竹造的十字架，耶穌被釘其中。
耶穌被釘十字架，身體被折磨受盡痛苦，情境悲傷。但是耶穌被釘十字架的形象，提醒我們聯系於基督。耶穌破碎的身體，祂寬恕的愛和犧牲，成為我們力量的來源，引領我們追隨基督和落實作 -- 「你們就是基督的身子，並且各自做肢體。」(v27)
「懷智」的機構格言 --- 取自聖經耶穌的話，「非以役人，乃役於人」(我來不是被人服侍，乃是要服侍別人) ，這是主耶穌在地的生命實踐。姊妹弟兄，盼望我們一同仰望耶穌，在與祂聯成同一的身體，竭力事主，見證福音，榮耀主名。誠心所願。
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, November 09, 2014
