The other day after work I stopped at one of the office supply stores to look at a telephone, when the young man who was helping me asked which church I worked at. His question took be by surprise, because I really don't think of myself as an employee. So I told him that I was a member of St. Simon and St. Jude Episcopal in Irmo, and I asked him if he belonged to a church. "Not really," he said. "I go to Such-and-Such Church sometimes, but I'm really not a member there." I asked him why, if he attended that church, that he didn't consider himself a member. "I really don't get into joining things, I guess. I don't see the point of it. The folks there are nice enough, but I don't want to become a member. It sounds like a club or something."
The young man's comments caused me to think about what we mean when we say that we are a member of a church. Is a church like a political party, where everyone is supposed to believe the same things about the government? Is it like a country club where everyone has a common interest, like golf or tennis? Does it mean that we enjoy socializing together? Does it mean that we all like the priest, and really think his sermons are incredibly interesting and insightful? What does it mean to be a member of the Church?
We typically think of a member as a person who voluntarily joins an organization. If you look up the word member in the dictionary, the first definition you'll likely come to is something like this: "one of the persons who compose a social group, especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization." A person might choose to join a social club or a service organization or a political party, and as long as he pays his dues and follows the rules of the group, he can say that he is a member of that club. And if for some reason he decides that he doesn't want to be a part of that club anymore, he can choose to leave. Now this is a very modern way of thinking about membership. It is based on the idea that individuals are more important than relationships. People belong to a group as long as that group benefits the individual. For example, when I choose to belong to a garden club, it gives me access to lower cost garden supplies and social status. Ultimately, this kind of membership is about giving me some kind of advantage.
But the dictionary has another definition for member, one that is really an anatomical term. A member can also be a body part – an extremity, appendage, limb or organ. And this is how Paul uses it in his letter to the Corinthians, where he describes the Church:
Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body... Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
In other words, through our baptisms, we become members of the body of Christ in the world, the Church. Members of the Church are as vital to Christ's ministry,as our limbs and organs are for our bodies. Not only that, but we all depend on each other for our health and well-being. Just as my arm can't quit being a member of my body without causing severe pain and harm, a person can not leave the church without harming the body of Christ.
Paul also reminds us that each of us is a member – a limb or organ – of one another. Each of us is a member of one another; we are joined together in a mystical mutuality. When one of us gets sick, we all become just a little bit sicker; when one of us is recovers, we all share in that recovery. Through our baptisms, we are all members of the single body of Christ, and by our participation in the body, we enable his ministry in the world. The Church exists for the benefit of people who are not already members. But it depends on its membership to do its work in the world.
This parish of St. Simon and St. Jude, has always been a unique part of the body of Christ here in Irmo, and we are called to tell the story of Jesus Christ in unique ways. We are a part of the body where lay leadership has been valued and nurtured; a part of the body that has a history of doing things in creative and unconventional ways. We are a part of the body that has told God's story through art and plays, a part of the body with reputation of proclaiming the Gospel through generous outreach to other people, a part of the body where it's okay for people to relax and ask questions. We are a part of the body that is called to engage with people who do not know Jesus Christ.
How might we find ways in which we can once again become more outwardly focused on proclaiming the Gospel in new and interesting ways to this community? How might we reach out to those who do not know Jesus Christ? Over the coming weeks, we will be looking for new ways to do ministry with Children. We will be looking for ways to bring new music into our worship. We will be looking for ways to tell our own faith stories to our friends and coworkers, and to invite them to tell us theirs. And as part of the body of Christ, each and every one of you here are needed to help. The part of the body of Christ known as St. Simon and St. Jude needs each an every one it his members to actively participate in its mission to Welcome, to Rejoice, and to be Jesus in the World. We are one body, yet have many members – many hands and feet, bones and muscle. We have a one mission: bringing everyone in Irmo into relationship with God, and with God's people, right here and right now.
Thanks be to God.
LINK TO THIS ARTICLE - http://www.ecsssj.org/show_article.php?myid=144
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