“Equal Concern”
January 23, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
Praise God that, even after yet another nail-biter game yesterday, the Bengals are well on the way forward! However, since I’ve used football as my opening example the last couple of weeks, and I don’t want to get in a rut, I’m going to do something a little different this morning. Since, in addition to being a sports fan, I’m also a music fan, we’re going to play a game called: “Name That Band.”
The object is actually very simple: I give out the name of classic rock band members, and all of you get to guess the band they’re either part of or were part of. I’ll start off with an easy one:
John, Paul, George, and Ringo
Mick, Keith, Brian, Bill, and Charlie
Bono, Edge, Adam, and Larry
Now, the reason for this little exercise is to demonstrate the fact that usually, when we think of a band, we only think of the band name. But we tend to forget that bands are made up of individuals. Each individual has a special part to play in the band, because each individual affects the overall sound of the band. But sometimes, even though they are of equal importance, certain individuals in the band tend to be forgotten – often times, until they end up leaving the band. But if all the members of the band are equally recognized, appreciated, and valued, all the members of the band enjoy being in the band and making music, and then the quality of the band’s music remains high and enjoyable for everyone.
In a similar way, we are like a band. In today’s Second Reading, St. Paul describes us as being a body, where, just as each one of our body parts are of equal importance, each one of us are of equal importance. If we each are recognized, appreciated, and valued, then our overall quality can be at its best, and we can enjoy being part of the body, which influences how we act towards each other, and everyone else.
Our value and importance is, even from the outset, perhaps even greater than we imagine, because of our value and importance to God. God valued and appreciated us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross to bring us back to Him, and then rise again to promise us eternal life. However, Jesus’ death and resurrection was not only for us to be able to go to heaven: it shows how much God is concerned about our overall health and well-being. Jesus came not only to die and rise again, but He also came to heal. He came, as He points out in today’s Gospel reading, quoting directly from the Prophet Isaiah in today’s First Reading, to give sight to the blind, to release captives, and free the oppressed. He emphasizes that He Himself is able to fulfill these words, because, being God Himself, He has the very power and authority of God to do so. He also did not come just to start a group, or an institution: as we talked about just a couple of weeks ago, He came to make us part of His family. And in His family, He wants to make sure that each of us are loved, valued, cared for, and know that each one of us are of high quality and value to Him.
This means that we here today are not just a group, or an institution. We are a family. In our own families, we’ve noticed that the mood of one person in the family can affect the mood of everyone in the family. If one person is having a bad day, everyone has a bad day. Or, if one person is happy and has reason to celebrate, everyone is happy and has reason to celebrate. The health of a family also depends on whether each member of the family is willing to be sensitive to and care about the needs, moods, and well-being of the other members of the family. Also, the health of a family depends on whether each member of the family feels equally recognized, appreciated, and affirmed for who they are and the value they have in the family. Since we are a family, we are are also to be concerned about whether we make each other feel recognized, appreciated, and affirmed for the special value each one of us have in this family. The quality of our family depends greatly on how much we value each other and how much we feel valued. But even then, we are more than just a family:
We are the body of Christ. Jesus is still among us in spirit, but we are His visible body. We make Him real among ourselves and to the rest of the world. Our own bodies may have individual parts, but together they make up our whole body. We are individuals, and each one of us are special and unique in our own way, making up the whole body of Christ. And as members, that is, parts of the body of Christ, we make up a whole. This means we are to care for each other, His body, as much as we do our own bodies. You’ve probably noticed that if one part of your body is hurting, then the rest of your body suffers. This is especially why, in this cold and flu season, not to mention with the coronavirus still going around, it’s important for you to love yourself, take care of yourself, and treat your body as well as possible. With all the continuing stress that’s going on because of many different things, it’s important for you to be able to care for yourself by doing things you enjoy, spending time with family and friends in any way you can, and making sure you’re always aware of how your body feels. Make sure you’re doing things that help you feel valued and appreciated by you yourself. Most of all, always be willing to ask for help or support. If one of us is feeling under pressure or stressed in any way, it affects every one of us, so it is important for us to be able to be supportive to help relieve each other’s pressure or stress. We can listen to each other, and so help heal each other. Also, the way we speak to each other, or about each other, can make a difference: speaking encouraging and affirming words to each other can help us feel valued, and help us to believe that we are important, and we have high quality in our church family. Just as speaking encouraging and affirming words to ourselves can help our minds and bodies feel healthy, doing the same for each other can help us, as a body, feel whole and healthy as well.
There is no doubt that the past couple of years have been stressful. The pandemic, which is still ongoing, has caused a lot of stressful change and worry. We have also expressed our stress in different ways. For some of us, this stress has probably also caused any mental or physical struggle we have already had to intensify. This is why the need to recognize, appreciate, and value each other is all the greater than before. Recognizing, appreciating, and valuing each other means listening to and validating each other’s stresses, struggles, and concerns. We can also recognize that each one of us are oppressed in some way – pressured by stresses and struggles, and that our stresses and struggles can affect our moods and attitudes, recognizing that all of these are perfectly valid, and we can allow each other to struggle. Sometimes, just being listened to can help relieve our stresses, put our struggles in perspective, and help relieve our pressures. Just as we are to listen to our own bodies to be able to treat ourselves the best way possible, we are to listen to each other – the body – to be able to treat each other the best way possible.
We particularly, as a body, and as a family, are to be aware of the amount of stress we are still carrying, what we have been storing among us. As with our individual bodies, it is easier for us to become sick or ill as a body if we allow ourselves to become overly stressed, and if we allow painful memories or attitudes to fester. Just as leaving a cut or wound untreated, and allowed to fester, leads to infection, or leaving any other symptoms untreated can lead to becoming sick, leaving any wounds or pain untreated among us can also lead to infection and sickness. The most effective way to deal with any untreated wounds is to address them directly, especially by going directly to anyone whom we believe has wounded us, listening to each other’s point of view, and attempting to resolve the situation. If doing so is impossible, we can pray to God to help us be able to forgive, so that whatever the pain, hurt, or situation may be no longer determines how we act or think. The reason for all this is so that we, as a body, can be healthy, to be able to move in the direction God desires for us, because:
We have a purpose. As the body of Christ, our purpose is to carry out His plan. His plan is for us to carry out His work – the work which Jesus did by fulfilling the words of Isaiah. As I talked about last week, each one of us plays a special part and has a special role in the ministry of our church family. We each can help release each other from oppression: oppression caused by the pain of stress or illness. Rather than depending on only one person, the health of the body, our church family, depends on everyone – on each one of us. Our ability to move forward as a church family also depends on each one of us. Just as each of our body parts need to be moving together in order to move in the same direction, each of us also need to be moving in the same direction in order to move forward. In order for our church family, the body of Christ, to be able to be healthy and grow into God’s purpose and plan for us, we are to be moving forward together. If we are healthy and growing together, then we are able to, by the power of Jesus, speak and act with the authority of God far more effectively.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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