Shortly after 2 p.m. on this hot, muggy Wednesday afternoon. I had originally hoped to do this yesterday*; but ended up with a doctor's appointment after having called in the morning. I've been dealing with some numbness in my hand for a while now; and more recently in my foot. I just felt like I should be checked sooner than later, suspecting carpal tunnel in my hand and a likely connection to my recent callus treatment for my toe. Long story short, I won't be using salysillic acid ever again!! (And neither should you) Anyway, I now have a "lovely" black brace to sleep in because the doctor agreed with me about suspecting carpal tunnel. I mean, seriously, with all the writing and typing I do, along with scrolling on my phone?? Yeah, most likely. I have a follow up the 25th, and I'm getting another filling at the dentist the 30th. Pray for healing and such.

Meanwhile, services for my cousin, Sargeant Jeff Sweeney, US Army Retired, will be on the 23rd at the NH Veteran's Cemetery. Between that and Father's Day on the 21st, I have a busy time coming up. (And my granddaughter is coming for an overnight this Friday/Saturday, so there's that, too!!)

Mike corrected my thinking on his upcoming appointments at the hospital campus over in Brattleboro, Vt. They are the 16th, not the 17th. They're doing a Swallow Test* and he's seeing the Neurologist. Continued prayers that they can find the right answers.

Nothing new from Andrea, although her birthday is coming up the 17th. I hope to see her before then, but I don't have a card made yet. At the same time, she and I share a loss that I'm not sure she's aware of at this time. I just saw on FB this morning that the founder of the Private Baptist School we both attended, has passed away. Dr. Ronald C. Surels was 92. He died at home, about an hour NNW of here, surrounded by family.

More updates to come... as I have shareable news.

While considering what to write for today's Message Intro., I couldn't help thinking of my cousin Jeff. Like the Church, the military is a body of individuals who have volunteered their lives in the service of their country. The President is the head, then you have the Secretary of Defense, the Operational Command Departments, the Secretaries of the Service Branches, and then the troops themselves. Within those structures are chains of command that either train soldiers or control combat missions. As indicated above, my cousin was a Sargeant. This position carries a certain level authority over others, specifically in making sure the day-to-day responsibilities of 4 other soldiers are met. This is the 6th level in the chain of command. My boyfriend Mike, reached the level of Specialist, which is 4th.

The point is, neither the military or the Church can function at optimal levels without each member doing their part. Somebody's got to be in charge, and others have to cook, clean, teach, and fight. In the Church, Jesus is in charge while others preach, teach, cook, clean, and pray. No one in either institution is more or less important than the next.

During the welcome and announcement portion, Kids Leader, Jess Donovan, read from Numbers 6:24-26, extending the Aaronic Blessing to this year's Graduates. You know it, even if not by that title. "May the Lord bless and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace."

New Members were also greeted.

Turn with me, if you will, to 1 Corinthians 12, starting in verse 12 --

1 Corinthians 12:12-13:13

New International Version

Unity and Diversity in the Body

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^[a] 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^[b]? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Love Is Indispensable

And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

13 If I speak in the tongues^[c] of men or of angels, but do not have 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 do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[d] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, 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. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

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Pastor Matt's opening thought for us Sunday morning was that the whole idea of this Sermon Series, "Following Jesus Together", clearly indicates our posture in relation to God. He leads. We follow. This, as Matt phrased it, is the defining heartbeat of the Church/Body of Christ. Within that, each Church Body has it's unique culture; but as a whole, we represent this "Culture of Together". This is not an individual sport, nor a spectator one, if you will, but a collective, yet deeply personal one.*

Before actually reading this passage, Pastor Matt gave us the historical context in which Paul was writing it. As is natural to any large group of humans, or maybe even smaller ones, factions were becoming a problem in the Corinthian Church. The verses just prior to this talk about the Spiritual Gifts, such as Tongues, Interpretations, Healing, etc.. As a church with a Non-Dom face, however, we really don't talk a lot about those things.* The important thing in this moment was the fact that some people saw themselves as "extra special" because their gift seemed "more spiritual" than another. While the Gifts themselves gave people a sense of belonging, human pride got in the way and began to cause division and different ways of belonging. Paul's point here, as we will discover, was that, no matter what talent, skill, or Spiritual Gift we may have been given, they ALL come from the Holy Spirit, as directed by the Father, according to our individual strengths and weaknesses. We see the original scenario of this in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit first indwelt the Disciples of Jesus at Pentecost. Now, while many feel that this was strictly Heavenly Language, as some Gifts of Tongues can be, the author is very clear about the fact that these were simply Foreign Languages, spoken by other human beings in other regions of the Earth. As suggested above, Pastor Matt brought out the fact that some were taking pride in their Gift. This led to manipulations for control and seeking greater status among the group, leveraging their power for themselves. Paul is adamant that, among the Body of Christ, this should not happen. Which brings us to our "takeaway statement" for the day --

"The Body of Christ suberts division, uniformity, and individualism by drawing us into the life-giving love of God for one another."

The Church is uniquely gifted and empowered by God to create something apart from the World.

While I'm not sure how Pastor Matt exactly had his notes organized, I'm putting mine into separate points here to make it (hopefully) a bit easier to follow than the solid page I have in my notebook.

1. Division -- We see this evidenced a hundred different ways, both in the world around us and in our own lives. It could be something as impactful as political stances, as (potentially) important as Trinitarian vs non-Trinitarian, or as moot as sport fandoms and foods.* In Paul's treatise here, Pastor Matt mentioned the likelihood that he may have been referencing a more Ancient Roman legend or fable from around 500 BC. In brief, this member of the Elite, Ananias Agrippa, was able to successfully negotiate terms with lower class workers who had gone on strike. The fuller context of this involves the analogy of the body, with the Elite as the stomach, distributing the nutrients to the rest of the organs and extremities. As a more modern example of this, Matt talked briefly about the Hunger Games. (If you're not familiar, this is a series of movies based on books. It's a "near future" dystopian society story in which the 12 Districts of PanEm are required to provide 2 of their members, 1 boy and 1 girl, ages 8-18 to fight to the death. This is done as an annual reminder of the Rebellion from decades earlier, reminding them that the Captial is the one District in charge of food and fuel for the rest by distributing those from the respective districts that produce them.) Anyway, the connection is that each district is no more or less important than the rest; but they all work together under the President. As Pastor Matt made note of here, Paul subversively never mentions the stomach in his adaptation of the earlier analogy. Like we said before, the Church subverts our human inclination for division. Into a world of division that results in death, God brings the unity of the Church to produce goodness, flourishing, and life.

2. Uniformity -- In verses 12-14 of our passage above, we see that Paul is talking about how there are many parts working together as a single body. He brings out the truth that, in Christ, the Jew, the Gentile, and the Greek are all equal. He also talks about the Cup of Communion. This would have called their attention back to Old Testament Jewish tradition in it's significance.* As Pastor Matt put it, "The Church subverts our push for uniformity, control, and conformity through inescapable diversity." Some can fear differences, thus creating factions; but God shapes us with diverse Gifts. These have nothing to do with physical appearance, as supported by Paul's words here. Rather, these are the talents, skills, and Spiritual Gifts that support both our pysical, emotional, and spiritual health.* The important thing to remember in this is that ONLY GOD determines these gifts as HE sees fit.*

3. Individualism -- The Body of Christ subversts our push for individualism through inescapable interdependence. Expressing onesself is among the natural inclinations of the human race. Possibly no more so than in the Western culture, and particularly here in the United States. Even beyond that, we New Englanders are especially known for our "rugged individualism". We like to feel that we can handle things on our own rather than being a burden to others.* In verses 15-16, we read that Paul is being purposely extreme in order to make his point that no one part of the body is more important than another. Pastor Matt used the examples of the eye and the ear by exaggerating the image even further. He talked about a huge eyeball, just bouncing down the street, minding its business. 😆😆 (Of course, I couldn't help thinking of the character from "Monsters Inc", Mike Wazowski, who is little more than that.) LOL He also talked about a huge ear in the same way. (That one, I had no referece for) But as we explore these truths, we find that no part is less important. Each has a unique purpose to share. This means that noone is allowed to withhold their gift. As mentioned earlier, the Body of Christ is not spectator sport. It requires everyone playing together at the same time, just as a military unit can only be at its best when everyone is doing their job. In verse 27, we read that all parts are necessary to the success of the whole.

Skipping back to verse 26 for a second, we can see these truths played out in the idea that, since we function as a body, one person's fall affects the whole. When one suffers, all suffer. Conversely, when someone suceeds, we celebrate together. We rise and fall together. Pastor Matt paused a moment here to talk about how he, among others, recently saw one woman in the congregation sitting alone and crying. In response, another was moved just to sit with her. In relation to this, he went on to say that some people have different reactions to seeing others in pain. (Especially when it's emotional)* Someone may avoid it entirely while another may join in and make a mess of it. They want to feel helpful, so they will start spouting Scriputres such as, "All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose."(Romans 8:28), or they will come out with other platitudes. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is just sit and keep our mouths shut. Our presence is the most important and helpful thing in that moment. At the same time, when we are gathered to celebrate another person's success, we need to be aware that we don't compare or judge them according to our own experiences or those of others who may have achieved something we feel is greater. Remember that the person whom you are celebrating has done the best according to their own abilities and gifts, not anyone else's.*

Before continuing with the Scripture, Pastor Matt took a moment to relate a small part of his son's wedding reception from the weekend before. He spoke of how, among the distraction of allergies in an outdoor venue, among the dancing and the love between the Newlyweds, he saw the love of other men in his son's life as they hoisted him up on their shoulders or in a chair. He couldn't have been more delighted or proud in that moment to see others celebrating in his son's marriage to his new bride. In the same way, that's how God sees us when we are behaving in ways that show our Christian Unity. Whether it be with other churches or in and amongst ourselves.

Finally, Paul ties all of his thoughts of unity together in the one thing that can. Love. Chapter 13 is well-known in Scripture as "The Love Chapter". Even those of you who have never read from a Bible before have most likely heard it at a wedding somewhere, or an anniversary. Verses 4-8a are the best known of all. It's "the List". The qualities of what love in action looks like.*

Pastor Matt closed with the thought of how we, both as parts of the CenterPoint body, but also in the greater Body of Christ, need to constantly contend with these issues so that we can participate as healthy members of the whole. (This means that we cannot simply ignore things as they come up; but we need to deal with them as promptly as we can, and in the best ways possible. Just like in any healthy relationship, issues that are allowed to fester only create bigger problems later.)

-- God Bless!!

Footnotes:

1. Technically, I would have done this as early as Monday afternoon; but that was needed to watch the service online and take down the notes, as I had chosen to expose my allergies to only one large crowd rather than two. My granddaughter, Brandi, had her Dance Recital at Noon, and did beautifully in both groups.

2. They are looking for evidence of Acid Reflux, which I also have. But I was telling him yesterday about something I had seen on my FB about Airway Reflux as opposed to the regular "fiery" esophageal type. I want to ask my own doctor about that, when I get the chance. My follow up for the hand and foot numbness isn't with my PCP, so it will have to wait for now.

3. Another way in which the Church and military are alike is in this truth of being collective, yet deeply personal. No matter what your experience in the military, wether your truck gets hit by an IED in Iraq, killing others on board while severely injuring you, (This is what happened to my cousin Jeff. He was having his 9th back operation shortly before he died.) or if you never leave the country in 8 years, like Mike, both came away different than they went in. They both learned new skills and lost close friends to the rigors of battle after deployments to other places.

4. In talking about the Spiritual Gifts, I have had personal experience with them in other churches. They are very real. I have been healed 2x and have a Prayer Language. At CenterPoint, we did recently cover the Spiritual Gifts in our Fellowship Group as part of our journey through both books of Corinthians. While I'm no longer posting to my Meeting Messages page, you can feel free to request the notes privately.

5. The bits about factions of Trinitarian vs non-Trinitarian and food are mine. Pastor Matt had also brought up movie and book fandoms, thus the Hunger Games reference.

6. A brief search shows that the significance of the Communion Cup goes back to the original Passover; thus supporting the truth of Jesus as Messiah as He writes Himself into the story during the Last Supper.

7. The part about how God's gifts support our physical, emotional, and spiritual health is mine.

8. While there are some churches or individuals that believe that all of the Spiritual Gifts are meant for all Believers, the Scripture never says that.

9. The bit about feeling a need to fend for ourselves so as not to burden others is mine. At the same time, I will share a caveat to this. We will use the need for a favor as an excuse to visit a family member or friend. Of course, the hope is that we don't ONLY visit when we need something. At the same time, I have an example of asking for something while doubting the person had it available. When I was growing up, the only times we saw my great uncle (on my mother's side) was either Thanksgiving, Christmas, or when we attended the regional meetings of his Ministry Group. (They don't have a name, but send willing partners out like Jesus did with the 72) Anyway, Uncle Sherman was visiting for one of the Holidays when I was around 10 yrs old. He asked my grandfather, with whom we lived, for one of the local newspapers. He said it this way, "You wouldn't happen to have a copy of today's Union Leader, would you??". I've heard since then that the penchant toward the negative inquiry comes from our British ancestors, but I'm not entirely sure. (That would be a good one for Dull Men's Club on FB) LOL

10. As always, parentheticals are mine.

11. The bit about comparison reminded me of the image that talks about not comparing our chapter 2 to another person's chapter 10, or whatever. The point is that we are not in competition with anyone other than ourselves. When we try to "one up" another's success, we end up diminishing their accomplishment rather than simply being happy for them where they are at in that moment.

12. Speaking of the "List" from 1 Cor. 13, I actually used it for dual Valentine's Gifts for myself and Mike last year. You can find it on the Stamp, Card, and Jewelry page.

Music -- Never any rights, I promise!!