In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul gives the church a strong and beautiful image of itself as a body, Christ's body. Paul's theology and understanding of the church is the most developed in the Scriptures. And this particular passage summarizes Paul's understanding of the church and gives us a metaphor in which to think of ourselves.

"For 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 by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit." We are together Christ's body, the physical expression of who Jesus is in the world - That's who we are! Christ is the head and his life animates and energizes the whole body. In Christ we are united, we are one.

Jesus Christ is in the business of healing and reconciling and uniting people. It is imperative, then, for the body to be healthy, that its various parts be functioning and working together. Christ's body is a reconciled body. All believers, whatever their background, culture, language, gender, sexual orientation, or theological bent are incorporated into one body. Human distinctions are broken down. "There is neither Jew nor Greek; Conservative nor Liberal; Native nor Non-native"

The common bond between people in the church is Christ. Family ties, national heritage, race, sex, age - all are of no significance as a bond in Christ's body. Jesus Christ is the hub of the wheel holding together the spokes that come from a variety of directions. It is the presence of the living Christ in human hearts that establishes our bonding in the church.

At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, two psychologists presented their findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestra perceived each other. The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and unathletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose "loud" as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical. Interesting findings, to say the least!

With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they set aside their opinions and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music. (Today in the Word, June 22, 1992)

What is our beautiful music? What is the church's beautiful music? What is our vision of the church? What is our mission and our purpose?

According to author Daniel Buttry (an author I have been quoting for the last two weeks), the work of the church is to nurture spiritual growth. The work of the church is to help foster each of us in the process of becoming a fully mature disciple of Christ. Every member needs to be challenged to grow, for none of us can ever claim we have arrived. Too many churchgoers have become complacent about spiritual growth. They feel what they learned as children in Sunday school is sufficient to last for a lifetime. But if we have a vision of the church as a place that nurtures spiritual growth, we challenge that assumption. And the church becomes a place that challenges people to begin a lifelong journey of discipleship. Spiritual growth is for everyone from 1 to 101. There are no retirees. I want to hold up St. Paul as a place that is beginning to embrace this vision of life long learning and growth. We have a six-week Christian Basics Course, which has been offered twice since October. We have had 23 people go through the homegrown program and people asking for it to be offered again in the fall. We have people come to that program who would not have come to a Bible Study and are now asking for Bible Study. We have people who are hungry and have embraced life-long learning, life-long spiritual growth.

Daniel Buttry writes of a man by the name of Arthur. Arthur was a retired man who had been in church most of his life but knew little of the Bible. But when his church had caught a vision of spiritual growth he caught it too and became an avid Bible reader. He joined the church's Wednesday night Bible Study and then worked at integrating what he learned into his life. A few years later as Arthur was dying of cancer, he feebly spoke to a visitor from the church from his hospital bed. He said, "I'm still growing, aren't I?" Arthur was a man who caught the vision for spiritual growth, and as a result, he played a key role in revitalizing the church as a whole.

The work of the church is to nurture spiritual growth. The work of the church is to help foster each of us in the process of becoming a fully mature disciple of Christ. Besides growing, the vision of maturity in Christ embraces working. Out of a growing faith comes the desire to find one's ministry. Each person in the church has a ministry, a calling. - not just the paid minister. Each person in the church has their own skills. The work of the church is to guide each of us to find our calling, our ministry.

An elderly widow, restricted in her activities, was eager to serve Christ. After praying about this with her prayer group and reading and reflecting in her Bible, she realized that she could bring blessing to others by playing the piano. So, she placed a small ad in her local newspaper. It read: "Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent-the service is free." The notice included the number to dial. When people called, she would ask them what hymn they would like to hear?

Within a few months her playing had brought cheer to several hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her, and she was able to help and encourage them.

Each person has a ministry, has a call. The work of the church is to help discern what that is - to provide the kind of prayerful and supportive environment which encourages discernment. And then to train that person for excellent and then send them on to do the work of Christ.

This weekend the UCW organized the women of the church to feed us, here at presbytery. They ask various people to cook. Some were asked to cook cabbage rolls. Now, they don't ask me to cook cabbage rolls because I don't have that talent. They ask people they know are good at making cabbage rolls. They ask the people who are gifted in making cabbage rolls. - People who know how to make them tasty. (People like Gladys Kotowich and Grace Bilibrowka) This is part of those women's ministry - cooking cabbage rolls.

We are responsible to use our gifts. That's why God gave them to us. Some people don't want to volunteer; they want to be convinced. They want to be convinced that they are gifted. The nurturing church helps people discover their calling and develop the gifts to fulfill their ministries. The church must embrace a vision of job training and empowerment.

We are the body of Christ. We have the responsibility not to atrophy and become unhealthy. Like the different parts of the body we need to grow, and develop and change. With Christ's guidance, with prayer, with the support of the whole body of Christ we can become the people that Christ meant for us to be. And to Christ, to God, to the Holy Spirit be the glory. Amen.

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"How could he?" asked the scribes and the Pharisees. "How could he hang out with such riffraff? How could he choose such a motley crew to be his followers? Can't he see that they are dirty, rude, and abrupt in their ways? They have no manners and certainly do not know their place at the table. Not just anyone can sit with a rabbi."

The people who followed Jesus were not the usual crowd. They were not the kind of people who usually took an interest in religious teachings. They were not the kind of people who usually followed the laws of Moses, attended worship every week and watched their p's and q's around religious authorities. Those who followed Jesus were not the usual crowd at all.

And so it is not surprising that their actions seem strange to the pious scribes and Pharisees.

Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers. The religious scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: "What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the riffraff?"

Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit."

It's not surprising that the behavior of the crowd is strange to the Scribes and the Pharisees. What may be a bit surprising, however, is that Jesus himself sought out these people and called them to discipleship. Like moths to a light, Jesus attacks the riffraff. More than attacks them, Jesus is the driving force, beckoning, calling and encouraging the lowest of society to be his disciples.

A clerk in a posh hotel greeted a small man who asked for a room. The fellow was so unimpressive that the clerk told him immediately no rooms were available. About that time the hotel manager came out of his office to the desk, recognized the man and called the clerk aside. He whispered to her that the man asking for the room was Pierre Monteaux, who for many years was the distinguished conductor of the San Francisco Symphony. The clerk came back to the desk, apologized and said, "Why of course we can take care of you, Mr. Monteaux! Why didn't you tell me you were somebody?"

Whereupon Maestro Monteaux turned to leave, "Madam, everybody is somebody!"

Levi was a tax collector. He sat in his booth collecting taxes on goods entering or leaving his district or he might have collected tolls at a bridge or a gate. It was one of the lowest jobs. Levi would have taken the job as a last resort. His job required him to touch money, which would have made him ritually unclean and he was collecting the taxes on behalf of the Romans, the hated occupying force.

Educated, rich and pious people would have held the tax collector in low esteem. As would tradesmen and craftsmen who resented having to paid taxes on all goods and services. The only people who did not despise the tax man were the poor because they were not taxed and had little to do with the toll collector.

And so here they all are, the poor, the uneducated, the irreverent and Jesus sharing a meal together.

In the first few chapters of Mark, Jesus lives the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven. The life he leads demonstrates what the kingdom will be like. Jesus heals a man who is mentally disturbed, a woman with a fever, those who were sick or possessed with demons. He heals a leper and a paralyzed man. He heals and forgives people of their sins. He restores people to their place in society. Jesus prays and teaches. He calls his disciples and gathers a motley crew around him. And now he holds a dinner party and breaks bread with them. Jesus does all this to demonstrate what the kingdom of heaven is like.

The kingdom of heaven is a place where there is no illness and brokenness. It's a place where people are whole and accepted and loved for who they are. The kingdom of heaven is a place where everyone can gather around the banquet table as equals and share in God's bounty. It's a place where all are included. The kingdom of heaven is available here on earth - Jesus witnesses to that. And the church is a witness to that. Every time we have communion, we are a witness to the heaven banquet of peace and love and just.

The United Church of Canada is a place that works at being a witness to the kingdom. As a church we have been inspired by passages like this one in Mark. We have been inspired by Jesus' ministry of embracing those who were on the margins of his society.

As a church we try to embrace those who are on the margins of our society. This history and tradition within the United Church is something to be proud of. In some ways we are like no other. It is exciting to be a part of a church, which has an ethos of inclusiveness, like Jesus did.

She stood there at the door of the church, obviously waiting until the minister had shaken hands with everybody. "Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked.
"Sure," he said. "What's on your mind?"
She gave him a long cold look that hid her fear. "I'm divorced," she said, and the looked at him for a reaction. "I've been divorced twice." Again, she looked for some reaction.

Tears welled up in her eyes. He took her hand.
"Let's go sit down," he suggested.
"I want to go to a church but the people don't know what to do with me. One minister told me, 'Oh, we really must have a group for people like you.' I don't want that. I just want to be part of a church and I want a place where my kids can belong a little."

"I'd certainly be happy if you came to this church," the minister said. "And most of the people here will accept you even after they've learned your story. Not all of them, but most. A few might be cruel."

"Does the United Church believe in divorce?" She was on the attack now.

"No," he said. "We believe in God and we believe in people. People make mistakes and God forgives them. Divorce is always painful and anything that hurts people is wrong. But sometimes divorce isn't as wrong or as hurtful as staying together."

"I'll bet there are no divorced United Church ministers," she challenged.

"Sure there are." He named half a dozen he knew personally.

"I'll bet they have to get out when they get divorced."
"No, they don't. There was a time when they felt they had to resign if they got divorced, but not anymore. Ministers make mistakes like everybody else. Maybe divorce is harder on them because people expect so much."

"You mean they can be divorced and still be ministers?" She was incredulous.
"Yes."
"My goodness," she said. "I think I've come home!"

This true story says something about the United Church of Canada. Something that some might call a weakness but which others see as a strength. Our strength is that we take Jesus seriously when he said, "The one of you who is faultless shall throw the first stone." Our strength is that we take Jesus seriously when he called to a tax collector sitting in his booth, "Come and follow me." We take Jesus seriously, when he broke bread with riffraff and treated them with respect and dignity; and when he said, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."

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After Robin Williams became famous for his role as Mork in 'Mork and Mindy' and before he became the big movie star that he is today, Robin Williams struggled with drugs, alcohol and bad movies. He starred in such disastrous and awful films as 'Moscow on the Hudson', 'The Survivors', and worst of all 'Popeye'. Those days were also the beginning of the end of his first marriage. When Robin Williams talks about those bad old days he calls them the Popeye years.

I've had Popeye Years -the years when I succumbed to the temptation of my youth. Heck, probably many of us had Popeye years - even Jesus. After Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan and after the Spirit of God came down to him and blessed him, then Jesus was driven out to the wilderness to be tempted by the Great Tempter.

Now you would think that of all people, Jesus would not be tempted. You would think that of all times to be tempted, Jesus would not be tempted immediately after his baptism.

Baptism is often seen as the high point of one's spiritual life, the cleansing of sin, the washing away of an old life for a new one with God. Some people even think of baptism as an inoculation against sin and temptation. But that is what happened to Jesus: He was driven out by the Spirit into the wilderness just after he had been baptized. So, maybe we don't know what we think we know about temptation.

What do we think of when we think of temptations? Probably sex, alcohol, and chocolate.

Mae West once said, "I was pure as the driven snow until I drifted."

We've all heard this before. What was Jesus tempted by? Luke's version of this story gives us more detail. Jesus was tempted to show spiritual strength by turning stones into bread. Jesus was tempted to do much good in the world by accumulating power over the world. Jesus was tempted to prove his faith in God by throwing himself down and trusting that God would save him. Not what we normally think of when we think of temptation.

In the beginning was temptation. Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden not because they succumbed to the temptation of alcohol or gambling or sex but of the temptation of knowledge. Knowledge! Knowledge isn't even a sin! But it was their temptation.

Temptation is, most often, a symptom that something is troubling us at a deeper level. When we are tempted something is missing in our lives and we attempt to fill it with the things that are tempting us. Temptation is about short-term gratification for long-term pain.

When we are under pressure, stressed-out, or unhappy, emotionally or spiritual unhealthy, temptation begins to rear its ugly head. We can will ourselves to ignore the temptation but only for so long. And so, temptation is a sign to us that we need help. We need help to deal with the root cause - the thing that is lacking in our lives.

When I was in my 'Popeye' years I was miserable. To the outsider I looked like I was having fun. I was living it up in Halifax, the city whose large university, college and military population supports more bars per capita than any other city in Canada, except for St. John's Newfoundland. I was dancing, I was partying, I was miserable. I had acne all over my face, from stress and although I had many boyfriends I was profoundly lonely. Because I had fallen to temptation so frequently I felt deeply guilty and shameful. I needed help though I didn't know where to turn to get that help.

But, the Popeye year was also a time when I was beginning to grow spiritually. And for the first time in my young adult life I was going to church regularly on my own accord. It was the worst year of my life but it ended with my decision to move to Toronto to enter theology school. My life completely changed after that because shortly after I moved to Toronto I met Chris and he saved my life.

There are two kinds of temptation. The first is temptation that is obviously destructive, to do what we know is wrong. We know that the thing that tempts is destructive and we give in to it anyway - the obvious things like lying, cheating, junk food, excessive alcohol, drugs, quick sex, and infidelity.

But there is a second, more sinister, kind of temptation, the temptation that seduces us. It seduces us because we think we can do good, we can help ourselves, without turning to God. We are seduced by what seems to be constructive solutions to our inner problems. These temptations are less obvious. But when we try these seductive solutions to our problems, we still feel empty because the solutions do not come from God. -This may seem like a strange thing to say, but stay with me on this.

Seduction looks like this:

1) Some of us feel unloved. To cure this feeling we try to help others. We think that people will love us if we take care of them, to the extent of ignoring our own needs. But we feel unappreciated. And we say to ourselves, "If only people would appreciate everything I do for them, then I would feel loved." But no matter how much we help others, that feeling of not being loved will remain. - Helping people for the wrong reasons becomes the temptation.

2) Some of us feel that the poor house is just around the corner. So we try to save money for our own security and peace of mind. We work hard and maybe hold several jobs and yet we are still fearful. We remain fearful of change and the future. And we say to ourselves, "If only I worked hard enough and had enough money saved, then I could relax and not be so afraid." But no matter how much money we save, that feeling of insecurity will remain. And so striving for security becomes the temptation.

3) Others of us see the world as a messed up place that we can improve upon. We see the stupidity of the world, the immorality and we get angry. We get angry enough to do something about it. So we work to be perfect and to create a perfect world for those around us but we remain angry. We remain angry because the world is imperfect. And we end up saying, "If only people would take my advice, then the world would be perfect and I wouldn't be angry anymore. But no matter how much we try to improve the world, that feeling of anger will remain. And so perfection becomes our temptation.

And so, what is the answer? The answer is God. The answer is in repentance and trust in God. Repent - turn away from the life you had. Admit you can't fix your own problems. I can't fix my own problems - it doesn't work when we take salvation into our own hands. We must stop doing things as a reaction to life or because we fall into things. We need to stop reacting and start acting according to God's plan for us. So, how do we know if something is part of God's plan or a seduction by the devil? Asking the question is the first step. Stop, repent, let go of control and let God guide us in our journey. Pray, reflect, think and seek out Christian brothers and sisters for support. We need to think about our actions, and why we are doing them.

The Good News is that God is here to guide us. God is always talking is us, showing us the right way. God can fill our lives with the fulfillment and peace of mind that we cannot achieve by our own means. God removes those temptations so we do not have to deal with them. And in the end, God promises eternal life, free of all anxiety. So please God, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

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