First Corinthians 12:1-11
Our theme for worship this morning is “the gift of imperfection.” Imperfection? Gift? That sounds like something turned upside down and inside out — like something we might hear in one of Jesus’ parables.
In fact, a New Testament scholar speaks about how Jesus challenged perfectionism or what might be called the “tyranny of the normal.” “In the popular mind,” Walter Wink writes, “there are [only] two kinds of people: normal and abnormal, normal and deformed, normal and disabled. Some are okay; others are not. But if pressed, we soon discover that everyone has disabilities and that we are not talking about an either/or, but [rather] a continuum which runs from slightly disabled to extremely disabled. Press anyone who looks ‘normal’ and you find, instead, a person with disabilities.” “The problem, then, is not with those with disabilities — but with the very idea of ‘normalcy.’”(Walter Wink, “Disability and Normalcy,” Auburn Views 1:1 (Spring 1993), 1-2.
The real source of trouble is our all-too-human investment in the normal, in normality, in normalcy. Haven’t you seen the bumper sticker that reads “Why be normal?” Good question!
In Jesus’ day, the conventional wisdom asserted that the holiness of God demanded purity, perfection, and separation from anything that might be blemished or cause contamination. In overturning this purity code, Jesus emphasized instead the all-inclusive compassion of God. God, it seems, is not concerned with normalcy after all, but rather with “inclusive wholeness,” with enlarging the circle and welcoming all as God’s beloved people.
Living out the implications of a gospel of compassion and inclusivity is not easy. It was not easy for the early Christians, and it is not so easy for us. “Without purity regulations” to fall back on, Wink points out, people were fearful that “there would be a crisis of distinctions in which everyone and everything was the same: women equal to men, outsiders equal to insiders, the sacred no different from the profane. . . . Gentile would be no different from Jew. ‘Clean’ people would sit at table with ‘unclean.’ No one would be better in God’s sight.” And why would this be a crisis? Because “without such distinctions,” without rankings of better than and less than, “how can you know whom to dominate?” How would you know whom to look down upon?
In following the Spirit of Jesus, the apostle Paul writes, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. . . . There are many parts, but one body. . . . (First Corinthians 12: 4, 20, and 26).
Living in community as radical co-equals is how we best honor the gift of our God-given humanity, the gift of our imperfection.
Narrator: Skit #1
Actors: (circulating on stage with cups in hand. Some chairs are ringed in background to make a perimeter and to supply seat for Alzheimer’s actor when he/she enters.).
[Leans over to look at congregation]
“Good morning. Welcome to coffee hour. As you can see, it’s a very lively scene. Don’t you wish sometimes you could just listen in to some of these conversations? Come on, [beckons] let’s do it. That conversation over there looks interesting.”
[Points to autism skit.]
JOAN: Oh, there go the Steadmans… (waves) You know, Bob and Betty really need to lay down the law with that oldest boy of theirs.
CAROL: You mean Tom?
JOAN: Yes, Tom. I think he’s really rude! The other day at the church fair, I stopped to speak to the family and he wouldn’t smile or even make eye contact. It was as if I wasn’t there!
CAROL:. I know what you mean. Social interactions are a real challenge for many kids with autism, and it can seem awkward for casual friends who want to interact with them.
JOAN: Oh! I didn’t realize that Tom had autism.
CAROL: My grandson was in the same classroom as Tom a couple years ago. Their teacher explained to the kids that each of us has different challenges & strengths and that Tom’s challenge was learning to process information & interacting with people. He’s really come a long way.
JOAN: So should I just not try to greet Tom when I see him?
CAROL: No, no. continue to speak to him whenever you see him. Everyone needs that acknowledgement. Don’t stop trying.
Narrator: What an interesting and important conversation! Autism is becoming more recognized in every community. I read recently that the CDC now estimates that 1 in every 88 US children has autism, and 1 in 54 boys. Carol and Joan’s conversation reminds me of a story that I heard from Karen Westerberg. Karen, would you be willing to tell that story?
KAREN – Emily Perl Kingsley writes:
“I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this. . . .
“When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
“After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”
“Holland?!?, ” you say. “What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.” But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
“The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
“So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
“It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around . . . and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills — and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
“But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy — and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”
“And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away — because the loss of that dream is a very, very significant loss.
“But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things — about Holland.”
[Narrator] So, we recognize the importance of being welcoming and inclusive, and we want to live gracefully with the gift of imperfection, but how exactly do we do that?
[Narrator:] Looks at the actors and invites the congregation to listen in, again. “Look. There is Mrs. Musgrave coming in. See that young man coming up to her? That’s her neighbor. Let’s tune in.”
Neighbor: [approaches actor with cane.] “Hi, Mrs. Musgrave, how are you today?”
Musgrave: “Oh, pretty good, thanks.”
Neighbor: “Would you like to sit down over here? I’ll bring you a cup of coffee.”
Musgrave: “Thanks, it’s hard managing the cane and hot liquids at the same time.” [Musgrave sits and neighbor goes off to get coffee. Musgrave turns to narrator and thinks aloud] I know I should recognize that young man. I’ve seen him somewhere before near where I live. Maybe, if I sit here a few minutes, I’ll remember. Maybe I’ll remember where I live, too.”
[Narrator:] “That neighbor spotted Mrs. Musgrave’s need right off — at least the visible one. But not every need is visible, nor is it always easy to figure out what to do.”
So, we recognize the importance of being welcoming and inclusive, and we want to live gracefully with the gift of imperfection, but how exactly do we do that?
[Narrator again focuses on the coffee group and indicates the third set of actors, inviting the congregation to join him/her.] “Shall we listen in once more? I wonder what they’re talking about over there?”
Connie: Did you see “Jim/Janice” this morning? He was all dressed up to the 9s with those heels and that outfit he was wearing?
Deb: Now, you know she wants to be called “Janice”. She’s making the transition, and that’s important. I know you don’t understand.
Connie: Well, I don’t know. I think those doctors ought to be strung up for injecting all those hormones and doing all that cutting on a whim.
Deb: Think about what that person must be going through to take such drastic measures. Those people really feel like they were born in the wrong body. It must be torture to be living that life.
Connie: Well, maybe you’re right… and, you know, she really was very helpful at the rummage sale, organizing and pricing all the items we had.
Deb: The bottom line is, she’s just a person like you and me inside.
Mike: Hey! Good morning! Did you two see Janice this morning? I LOVED those heels she had on!
[Narrator:]
“Transgender is a challenging issue for many of us because we expect the world to be neat and tidy, perfectly divided between two and only two types of people, one male and masculine, the other female and feminine. People who identify as transgender remind us that the world is not neat and tidy. We humans live along a continuum of different gender identities and gender expression – which is fascinating, sometimes discomforting, and a genuine challenge to the “tyranny of the normal.” Transgender is another gift within God’s amazingly rich and diverse creation.
So, we recognize the importance of being welcoming and inclusive, and we want to live gracefully with the gift of imperfection, but how exactly do we do that?
Dolores Broberg shared this insight from author Carolyn Myss, who speaks of the “gift of imperfection,” the gift of living in community as radical co-equals, this way: “The energy of a healing grace . . . moves between the giver and the receiver – and blesses both. We need each other. We’re not meant to be completely independent, but to give and receive. . . . You cannot strive for a healthier, more spiritual life if you keep yourself separate and apart from life around you. The journey of the ‘self’ also involves the journey of the ‘other.’” So, we recognize the importance of being welcoming and inclusive, and we want to live gracefully with the gift of imperfection, but how exactly do we do that?
This morning, members of the Diversity Committee have lifted up the realities of autism, Alzheimer’s, and transgender persons in our lives – but there are many other “gifts of difference.” If you would like to explore how to respond to people who have particular differences and relational needs, please pick up your coffee at coffee hour and come to the Davidson Lounge — to discuss ways that you and others in this congregation can interact in a more open and welcoming manner.”
In closing, hear these words of comfort and challenge:
One: “We are a community of faith: hand-clapping, toe-tapping, heart-pumping, mouth-tasting, arms-embracing, justice-seeking, hymn-singing, love-making, bread-baking, risk-taking community.”
Many: “We are the body of Christ! Baptized by one Spirit, we are members of one body, many and varied in gender, color, sexuality, age, class, and ability.”
One: “None of us can say to another, ‘I have no need of you.’”
Many: “For only together can we find wholeness.”
One: “None of us can say to another, ‘I will not care for you.’”
Many: “For we are connected like muscle and bone. If one suffers, we all suffer. If one rejoices, we all rejoice.”
One: “Thanks be to God who in Christ has made us one.”