Body Language

1 Corinthians 12:1-13

Friends! Not only do you get me preaching twice in a row, you once again get Paul talking body talk. Paul really does love the God-bod image. This time though, the body talk is in service of how each of the parts work together, how the community of Christ engages and interacts “For the common good” (as Paul puts it).

This is a Pentecost text because it is about the fullness of the Spirit’s action in the new church. The Spirit is actively filling the members of the church - at Corinth and in every place and time - with gifts to be “activated” in service of the church (and I would say also the world - but that’s me not Paul.) The gifts work together the way a body works together. And they can also work against each other.

When I was seeing a Quaker Spiritual director - someone steeped in the way of presence in Spirit - I was helped to see the spiritual gifts as innate. Our gifts are so a part of ourselves that our gifts become almost our native language. Like language and culture, we might more highly value our own than that of others because we can’t understand it. In addition, when we can’t understand someone else’s gift we may feel it unnecessary. That lack of understanding can be the cause of conflict and misunderstanding.

Language of Enneagram is not a language that I speak but I suspect that those of you who do may be able to translate this to type. I do not know that way of engaging in giftedness but i do have a little bit of insight into love languages. The idea of “Love Languages” was developed by psychologist Gary Chapman and I was introduced to it in couples counseling as a way to help my spouse and me to understand each other and communicate. Each of us has a different “Love language”: Words of affirmation, physical touch, receiving gifts, quality time, acts of service. When we’re “spoken to” in that language we feel loved and connected to our partner.

For example, my primary love language is “acts of service” but my spouse’s is words of affirmation. So we often talk past each other when trying to express our love and appreciation. I’m looking for someone to do the dishes after dinner - that says love to me. I don’t necessarily hear “I love you” in the expressions of gratitude and affirmation for a delicious meal. But also because words of affirmation are not my love language - I forget to articulate my own appreciation and encouragement and gratitude, which is how my spouse feels loved.

This is the passage that leads into the loooove passage to the Corinthians. The one we heard a few weeks ago. Even though we’re not hearing them in order, it seem right that this should be the first step. Before we can learn to love each other - need to speak each other's language - or at least have an appreciation for that language. Someone who does not speak the spiritual gift of prophecy, might find that gift to the church annoying or distracting or troublemaking. But prophecy - the telling of truth to power and naming injustice pushes the church body to be more Christ-like. The body will communicate between its members more fluidly if the hand is learning the language of the eye.

Many years ago I saw a Cirque du Soleil show in which I spent almost all of the show with my mouth agape and gasping in awe at the way the acrobats and dancers engaged their whole bodies in the performance - and at how their bodies worked in concert with each other. Even the musicians and the clowns. There was no part that was not used with intention and beauty and strength and grace. But it takes a lot of training and practice for one of those acrobats to be able to do that - for anyone who is an elite athlete to be able to make their body work in the way that it does. It takes practice for the Body of Christ as well.

This isn’t the usual Pentecost passage. We’re used to focusing on the rush of wind and the tongues of flame. On the crowd, which through the power of the Spirit can understand their kindred from all nations. Here we see that the Spirit continues to give language and the understanding of languages to the church. Paul is extending that into metaphor, in a way. It’s not just gifts that are being doled out, it’s Spiritual gifts. And all the Spirit’s gifts are good, resources that are for the good of the whole body. May we seek to listen for and to understand the language of the Spirit - and in so doing may we strengthen the body.

Turns out I wrote a sermon this week that I didn't end up using because the Spirit called me in a different direction (more on that in a later post, perhaps).  But here's the text of the sermon that would have been...

Taking Pentecost Home

Dwell with the Word
Re-read the story of Pentecost (here it is in The Message) from the Bible or your favorite Bible storybook. A mighty wind and flames on heads and talking in languages. It's kind of a crazy story.

Goldfishflames

If Goldfish are a part of your daily snacking life, you could use them as a starting place for the story. I've noticed that when you turn the goldfish on it's tail it looks a lot like a flame. It could go something like this (if you don't want to sound like an awkward church robot, use your own words):

"Look at this! When you turn the goldfish this way it looks like a flame. That reminds me of the story of Pentecost. After Jesus had gone to heaven to be with God, his friends and followers were all together wondering what to do next. All of a sudden a huge wind blew. Then it was like each of them had a flame on the top of their heads (this would be a perfect time to put the gold fish on top of a small doll). 

They started talking in many languages about all that Jesus had done and about God's love. There were people from all over the world in Jerusalem at that time and even though they didn't speak the same language they could all understand the stories and they were amazed. There were thousands of people who decided to follow Jesus that day. That was the way the church began."

Let them Eat Cake

Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church. Have a Happy Birthday Church cake or make Holy Spirit cupcakes. You can even make flames from mini marshmallows and colored sugar. You don't have to know how to do fancy piping with frosting.

Wear the Spirit

Make clothes that will remind you of the Holy Spirit. Using flame-colored Sharpies, try easy tie-die on white socks or t-shirts. Simple instructions here. I actually tried this one (my socks on the left) and it was really fun.  I will enjoy wearing these and remembering that I walk in the power of the Spirit.

Ring of Fire

Spin your own fiery art with yellow and red paint, a piece of paper cut to size and a salad spinner. These instructions suggest autumn leaf shapes, but you could totally cut these into flame shapes and thread them onto a string or thread for display.

Spirit Walk 

This is a version of a prayer walk. Go for a walk and notice 'signs of the Spirit' around you. Since it's Spring there are lots of signs of new life around. You might also bring a camera, a notebook or vessel to collect things to put in a place that will remind you of God's Spirit all around you.

Bible Babble and the Babel Fish

Pentecost is here again and this year I was inspired by Douglas Adams. Remember the moment when Ford Prefect shoves the Babel fish in Arthur Dent's ear? Arthur, like he usually is, is confused because he has just arrived on a Vogon vessel and only moments before had no idea that Vogons existed. But then all of a sudden he can understand everything that's going on around him - or at least everything that's being said; he's still pretty confused much of the time. That moment of understanding, that is what happened on Pentecost.

In Acts 2, there are people from all over the known world gathered to celebrate one of the high Jewish holidays. All of these people who were just minding their own business tuning each other out because they couldn't understand what the person next to them was saying, now they can understand every word. And not only understand but realize that God was working through this miracle of understanding.

No doubt Douglas Adams named the Babel fish for the story in the Bible often associated with Pentecost as the anti-Pentecost, the place where all the trouble started. At Babel, in Genesis 11, the language are all mixed up and no one can hear or understand each other any longer. But Pentecost and the Holy Spirit gives that all back. In understanding they are suddenly able to create a community, because the barrier of language has been broken down. And that's not all, Peter quotes Joel as he interprets this event: even upon slaves, on men and women, on young and old. The Spirit is for everyone. This is the birth of the church.

Radical new community all because of a little fish...I mean the Holy Spirit.