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Sermon
The Fourth Sunday
after Epiphany, February 1, 2009 (Year B)
Stumble or Stand
1 Corinthians 8
The Rev. Robert B. Wood, St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, Alpharetta,
Georgia
I’m just back from a short trip to
Camp Mikell—help St. Bede’s as facilitator on their vestry
retreat. While walking around in the afternoon—and while
thinking of today’s lessons—I had a flash related to 1
Corinthians, to Paul’s words, “I will not cause another to
fall.” It was not some deep theological insight—but much more
juvenile—actually a trick that we used to play on friends.
You’d be standing there talking to someone, innocently enough
while another person would get down on their hands and knees and
would crawl behind them. Then, at the right moment, you the
talker, would give your friend a little push backwards. They’d
step back to get their balance, but the person on hands and
knees would be there like a human curb—and over your friend
would tumble—and off the other two would run. We did this to
each other enough that week so that soon would-be victims caught
on quick…watching for someone crawling around on their hands and
knees…or simply ready to hang on to someone if they saw “the
push” coming…so as not to stumble or fall.
Of course, “the mature” adults around would tell us to stop.
Someone might get hurt. We were not so mean that we did that on
concrete, and and I don’t recall any broken bones, but we may
have simply been lucky on that. It was not the best of
tricks…but when you’re 15…you just don’t know better. It wasn’t
like we were bullying people—doing something intentionally mean
and hurtful. Almost always, we did it to a friend—probably
because he or she had done it to us the day before.
Anyway, here is Paul, trying to be a mature adult himself,
reminding the Corinthians that causing others to fall or stumble
is no laughing matter, that someone’s faith could get hurt. By
extension, the Body of Christ would be hurt. He was not talking
about a childish trick but about eating meat that had been
sacrificed to one of the regions “other gods.”
For example, a Corinthian friend of yours, back in the day,
might invite you to a banquet in or near the temple of the god
Asclepius. They be serving great food, good wine. Everyone would
be there. You had this great new toga you wanted to wear, so you
had to go. As you sit down to eat, you realize the steak
prepared and well garnished is likely what was yesterday’s
spiritual offering to Asclepius. But it looks good. Smells good.
You pick up your fork and knife, make that first cut, but
something makes you look up and across the table.
There is your friend…the one who was baptized just last
week…giving you the worried eye. He’d been told by his baptism
teacher to follow no other gods—and certainly not to eat meat
sacrificed to them. Sort of a spiritual betrayal to Jesus. He’s
watching you…to see if you’ll put your faith in practice… or to
see if your faith is just in words.
Had Paul been there—a Johnny on the spot to clear it up—he would
have said two things: first—as we read this morning—he would
say, “There’s only one god in the first place: our God.
Therefore, this meat was offered to a non-existent being—so any
ritual or meaning or betrayal is also non-existent. If you eat
it, your soul is fine. Or as Paul actually wrote: “We are no
worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.”
However—the young, new believer over there, has not worked
through all that logic yet. If you eat, and he sees you, it will
trouble his soul and make him wonder about the truth. In other
words, you’ll push him over backwards and trip him up on his
walk with God. One day, he’ll understand, but…but. Of course,
putting that meat in your mouth is not an intended, bullying
gesture, but something that would amount to a bad prank. “So
tell you what”…Paul might say… “if I were you…I’d ask for the
fish. Don’t cause him to stumble.” Actually, show the power of
your love for him, for his journey, and make a sacrifice
yourself. Love builds up.
In a few short verses, Paul will be telling the Corinthians more
about love…
that it is patient and kind, that it bears all things, hopes all
things; that love is not boastful or demanding of its own way. I
would add to that what we’ve just encountered: love doesn’t
cause others to stumble. Love actually looks for ways to pick
people up and help them to stand. Is that not the story of the
Good Samaritan? Is that not the point of the Prodigal son?
Yes, my brothers and sisters, we are in the “helping-to-stand”
business. This week, as you take this story into your hearts and
your arms, into the world, consider not only the “don’ts” in
“don’t cause others to stumble” —as if we live our lives mainly
on the “thou shalt not” side of the ledger.
Instead, be on the do side. Do cause others to stand. Do show
love at every opportunity…IT BUILDS UP…particularly when someone
else’s faith is at stake.
In the world, in this church, you will find people who have
fallen over—maybe because the church let them down, maybe
because church teachings and logic get confusing, maybe because
their legs of faith are not quite under them. For whatever
reason, they are down. You can help them up.
To continue the connection to our daily lives, in a few minutes,
you’ll hear about our Outreach ministries. What a perfect
example of being in the standing business! How we—as individuals
and as a congregation—have extended the hand of love to others
who are down.
We do Outreach because we love others…and love builds up. We do
outreach because we love God. We do outreach because God reached
out to us in love when we were down…hopeless, sinful, confused,
having stumbled along. Now, standing, we can love others as
Christ loved us.
We are in the standing business…so stand…not just to recite the
words of our faith as we do at this point of the liturgy…but to
show the fallen world that we believe the words we say, that we
live those word in love with sacrifice each and every day.
© Fr. Robert B. Wood. All Rights
reserved.
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