Sunday 8: The
Second Sunday after Epiphany
Epiphany is a
season of going. Magi went to the manger (Read Matthew 2:1-12).
Jesus went to the water to be baptized (Read Matthew 3:15-22).
The disciples went with Jesus (Read Luke 5:1-11) .
And if I may take some liberty, Jesus’ mother went to Him at a wedding (Read John 2:1-11).
But what is
the point of all this going?
A phrase caught
my attention as I listened to Scripture today:
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7, NRSV)
Common good.
The common
good is hard to define. It is conceptually understood, even desired, without
the full ability to articulate it. The struggle to define the common good is
not limited to Christian thought, or even philosophy. In fact, just this very week I sat amongst a
group of graduate students at the University of Southern California and tried
to give definition to this idea. Each small group landed on a good - but perhaps
incomplete – definition. One common
thread was the idea of benefit to others; whether that was articulated as a “majority”
or “all people” or “society,” it was understood that the common in common good was
a challenging modifier.
So it is,
too, in the Corinthians passage above. Later in the chapter, the author compares
the common good to parts of a body working together, each with a unique part
that serves the collective body. The ear may enjoy music from time to time, but
primarily it does not hear for its own benefit, but rather to learn or warn the
body. The feet may enjoy the pleasure of a pedicure from time to time, but
mostly it carries and moves the body. It is the same with eyes and elbows, hips
and hearts, armpits and even the appendix.
Using our
gifts for the common good is not always easy, but it is important.
If I am a leg,
let me stand.
If I am an
arm, let me carry the hand.
If I am knee,
let me bend.
If I am hand,
let me extend.
If I am an
eye, let me see.
If I am a
bladder, let me pee.
If I am
heart, let me beat.
If I am a
butt, let me take a seat.
If I am a
stomach, let me digest.
If I am a
brain, let me know what is best.