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1
Corinthians 15:1-11
1
Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I
proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2
through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that
I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.
3
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was
buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the
scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he
appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of
whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then
to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also
to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I
am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked
harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with
me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to
believe.
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The
church hurts when they start to believe what they think they know is a lie.
Sunnyside,
I think right now, we know exactly what I’m talking about. The church hurts when they start to believe what they think they know is a lie.
But
friends, I’m not talking about us. Or maybe I am coincidentally as it fits for us
right here, right now. But I mean this in reference to the Christian church in
Corinth. The church hurts when they start to believe what they think they know
is a lie.
We are
near the end of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Paul has been challenging the
Corinthians; he has let them know major issues that the Corinthians are facing.
Paul describes a problem, and then he responds to the problem with a solution
found in the Gospel. He then shows the Corinthians that although they think
they believe the goods news of Jesus Christ, they are failing to show that in
their actions. In other words, they are not practicing what they preach. Paul
writes they are dividing the church due to five major infractions.
This
includes the Christian church in Corinth dividing themselves by who their
favorite ministry leader is. It includes them being divided by sexual
immortality because they believe they can just do whatever they want. It also
includes dividing themselves on the issue of what food they can eat. And then
they divide themselves on which gift in ministry is the best. After each issue
of division, Paul pretty much writes “You’re kidding me, right?!” And rightly
so. When did Jesus ever teach the message to divide rather than unite?
But
the last infraction that divided the early Christian church in Corinth is found
in Chapter 15, in our passage that was read today. It was also the greatest
infraction.
It
is on the issue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the future hope of
Jesus’ followers. In the church, there were some people who viewed themselves
as Christian but thought that the resurrection of Christ was ridiculous; that
maybe the resurrection didn’t actually happen and that it’s okay that it didn’t
happen because it doesn’t really matter to being a Christian. That the
teachings of Jesus are honestly good enough and that if they follow at least
those (and to be honest, they weren’t, but if they follow the teachings of
Jesus), they will be given eternal life, not through the resurrection but
through possibly their own good works.
This
is what I meant when I said, “The church hurts when they start to believe what
they think they know is a lie.”
The
people of Corinth knew the Gospel message. They heard the stories of the risen
Christ. It was preached and taught in their church. But somewhere along the
way, maybe because something happened; maybe something traumatic, and then they
all found themselves in a situation where they now considered what they once
believed might not be a lie. They thought the resurrection of Christ might be a
lie. And so they were divided and they did unjust things and they lost touch
with what they believed. All because they started questioning what they
believed to be true; what they knew to be true in their heart of hearts, and yet they questioned if it might just all be a
lie.
Can we fault them for that? In moments of tragedy, have we questioned what we once believed to be true might now be a lie? Something that the logical side of you still knows is still true but the irrational side somehow takes over and you start questioning it.
This
speaks to me. And perhaps it speaks to you.
I,
at times, can be an irrational person. Ask my friends; ask my family. It’s something
that has gotten me into trouble before. I become irrational when I feel like
I’m backed into a corner, when I’m incredibly anxious or desperate or hurting.
I become irrational. I start to question the truth. There’s the logical side of
me whispering, “C’mon, Taylor! You know this is the truth.” But it’s in those moments, in moments of
darkness, the irrational side is screaming, “But what if it’s all a lie?”
What if it’s all a lie..?
What if it’s all a lie..?
Can
you relate to that?
I
can become irrational in my way of thinking and I question things in times of
tragedy. I don’t share this fact about me to be alarming. I share it because I
think it’s normal. And I share it to be helpful. It’s helpful to know that it’s normal because
when it happens to you, you’ll know it’s normal. I can believe the truth to be
a lie at times. You can believe the truth to be a lie at times. Even the people
of Corinth believed the truth to be a lie. They thought the resurrection of
Christ was a lie.
So
what does this mean for us? Why is it important to know that in times of
tragedy or divisiveness, we may question what we know to be true?
Because
this is where God is at work.
When
the Corinthians begin to doubt the resurrection, Paul reminds them the truth in
the story.
They
absolute truth is: Christ died for our sins. Christ was buried. Christ was
raised on the third day.
Why
would God raise the dead? Does the resurrection really matter? Isn’t Jesus’s
teachings enough to follow?
Because
without the resurrection, there is no good news. If God had not raised Jesus;
If God had not claimed victory over death, then the Gospel would be a lie.
But
we do know that God did raise Jesus from the dead. This is the same God that
was active in the lives of the ancient Israelites. This is the same God this is
active in our lives today. This God is faithful and trustworthy, and this God
has done miraculous, powerful things throughout time.
We’ve
experienced these powerful things for ourselves.
In
times of transition, ministry may seem like it can be brink of dissolution;
that it can all fall apart in a moment. As I’ve discerned my own eventual
departure from Sunnyside, this is one of the things that I fear most. That every
significant thing we have done together might be undone. Friends, I don’t like
that thought…
And
here we find ourselves in a moment of great transition. Perhaps this is where
we are questioning the truth. Maybe all of us are considering the things that
might feel like they might be undone.
At
my own service of ordination, my pastor, The Rev. Michelle Witherspoon, told us
this: “There are some things that cannot be undone. There are things in which
we are the participants in but not the agents of. Baptism and ordination and
marriage and funerals… the resurrection. We participate. We dip our hands in
the water. We lay our hands over ministers and elders and deacons. We say the
prayers at marriages and funerals. But it is God who makes it what it is. It is
God who makes it effective. It is God who seals the act to make them holy and
lasting and enduring.”
Think
of your marriage to your partner. It is God who united you two in love.
Think
of the baptism of your child. It is God who claimed them as God’s own.
Think
of when you eat the bread and drink the wine at the Lord’s Table. It is God who
fed you with provisions of grace.
Think
of your ordination to service to the church. It is God who raised you into holy
leadership.
Think
of the funeral of someone you love, perhaps a parent or a sibling or a child.
It is God who raised Christ from the dead so that eternal life may be given to
all believers of every time and place.
There
are some things in ministry that cannot be undone because what God has done
cannot be undone. This is promised. This is the truth.
And
how did Paul remind the Corinthians of the truth they already know? He reminded
them that Jesus in his resurrection appeared to many of his followers; over 500
apostles and disciples, including Paul himself. This adds credibility to the
truth because people shared the same story about the truth.
And
so this is what I invite you all to do. To share your stories of the truth with
one another. If you start to question what you know to be true as a lie, if you
are feeling dark or desperate, share a story with a friend and have them share
a story with you. And then share more with others. We need to hear the
testimonies of truth and love in the days and weeks ahead. It’s in these
moments that we need to rely on our relationships of faith, the holy
friendships that we have made in this place.
The
last thing I want to mention from this passage is the role of Paul in all of
it. Paul, when writing about Jesus appearing to many following the
resurrection, includes himself on this list… but as someone who did not deserve
it.
Paul
believes he was as good as dead when Christ appeared to him. He was killing the
church of God. He was doing everything in his power to end the Jesus movement.
He was a murderer and a persecutor and completely unworthy of God’s grace. And
God chose him anyway.
If
God can do something good through Paul the murderer, surely that same God has
the power to work wonders in the lives of others. If God can help remind the
Corinthians of the truth of the resurrection, surely God can remind us of our
own truths.
The
church may hurt when they start to believe what they think they know is a lie. Transition
is hard. We question the truth. We assume false lies. We begin to see ministry
as difficult. This day is not the product of smooth sailing and easy living nor
is it a gateway to smooth or easy. And that’s a pretty normal feeling right
now. But friends, the resurrected Christ is ever-present reminding us of the
truth, the life-changing revelation that we are all experiencing.
Believe
the Good News. Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the
third day. The revelation of Christ is sure and true because of an
actively-working, faithful God. And God is still working in our midst. We are
witnesses to this in the stories of truth we share with one another. And when
reveal these stories of truth to each other, we see God revealed to us through
one another. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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