White Elephant

In Corinth, seeking status had become a holy activity. The rich members thought it made sense for them to eat a nice meal by themselves, even as their poor brothers and sisters looked on with hunger (1 Cor 11:21-22). Similarly, some gifts seemed impressive, and so those leaders naturally deserved the spotlight. Others seemed to have less to offer, and so they were relegated to second-class status. God had given some more than others, and the ones with more felt the church should recognize these differences. The way we rank each other changes over time, but the thirst to do so never dies. In the nineteenth century, many churches in the United States rented their pews to members. Richer families paid more to sit close to the altar, and poorer members sat toward the back. At one church I visited, members paraded down the center aisle holding their financial gifts in the air. In some churches, you can see who the favorites are by how much stage time they get on Sunday mornings. Paul answers by explaining who God is and who we are. Without giving a systematic theology lecture, he simply names the Spirit, the Son, and the Father working in unity. Even God isn't calling attention to himself! Rather, the Triune God is actively distributing gifts among his people so they are empowered for his work. Then he explains who we are: the Body of Christ. It's absurd to rank our own body parts. Who can say their arm is better than their leg? We treasure every part of our bodies. In college, I ran so many miles that a toenail fell off. I was unreasonably despondent, and only got over it when I saw it grow back. When we each think of ourselves — and one another — as being part of Christ's body, then trying to outcompete one another for status will feel equally ridiculous. The next blow to status is recognizing our abilities are gifts from God. It's harder to boast about something you don't deserve. It insults God if I don't appreciate the gift he gave me, or the gift he gave you. It's easier said than done. As a kid, on the day after Christmas, I found it easier to write some thank you notes than others! But God isn't like a distant relative who sends a thoughtless toy. Rather, it's the Spirit of God intentionally and personally distributing each gift in accordance with his perfect wisdom. But Paul isn't done. He also explains the purpose of the gifts: to serve others, for the common good. In Corinth, leaders were using their gifts to serve themselves. As a professional Christian, I've learned how to use what God gave me to subtly promote myself. It can seem like the only way to make it. But Jesus inverts the social system. His life was offered as a gift to save us from our selfishness. When we receive his work in our lives, he reorients us to give more than we take. It seems like an impossible approach to life. Instead of climbing over each other to get honor, we're asked to use our gifts to lift each other up. But being transformed into Christlikeness isn't something we do on our own, either. Paul explains that this is all the work of God. It's because we've been baptized by the Spirit, and can keep drinking of the Spirit as much as we want, that our thirsty souls can finally overflow (John 7:37-39). God is turning us into springs of water, offering life to everyone around us.