Originally posted January 25, 2010
Listening to the readings for the week a this weekend, several things came to mind. A lot of those thoughts focused on what I saw while I played TV Roulette–will I get find a good TV show or will I get wrapped up in a piece of junk.
Making my way around the channels, I went through the Fox, CNN, MSN…political rhetoric channels, and then hit the Sunday televangelist string. I saw the gambit from the sitting at the desk interjecting thoughts and theology to the take off his coat, loosen the tie, and repeat yourself over and over until the faithful are on their feet with hands in the air.
The second reading (1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27) spoke to me because the polarization I saw on television that day. The political parties saying the other is responsible for the problems our country is experiencing, and how they are going to correct things. Meanwhile we have people making faith in God purely and intellectual experience or purely emotional experience.
Paul writes to a divide body of believers in Corinth with various groups wanting to do without another group. Each group, I am certain, believed that they had all the right answers… Paul, in his letter, tries to correct this strife by telling them they “together” make up the body of Christ. The body functions its best when all the parts work together.
I wonder how much better shape our country would be if we took this Christian principle of burying our selfish pride, and realized the only way we are going to make this country better is working together.