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1 Corinthians 11 - "Church Service"

Phil Campbell MPC, 28^th July 2002.

What a week on the stockmarket. If you're into the world of high finance, you'll know it's been a roller-coaster. Especially in the USA. Stocks down a record low one day. Back up a record high the next day. Ready to do it all over again.

And all because of what analysts are calling low investor confidence. Huge companies like WorldCom. Bankrupt because of corporate fraud. Overstating earnings to inflate the share price. And WorldCom's not alone. Who's next?

There's plenty of it here too; you can listen to the testimony from the HIH inquiry. How the proceeds from this company went to buy that house. Or OneTel. Where Mark Silbermann "changed the numbers" on the cashflow records. The figures come in from the accountant. Mark Silbermann doesn't like them. Easy. Change them. To something he does like.

That's business. To the point where Gordon Moyes, from Wesley Mission in Sydney made an interesting observation. He said, the problem we're seeing in the business world runs deep. He said, it all boils down to an underlying issue. We used to live by the Christian ground rules… do unto others as you want them to do to you. Now, he said, it's this. Now, it's a matter of do others in before they do you.

He said, we're caught up in a self serving ideology. With no interest in serving others. No interest in doing what's best for them. Just looking out for number 1. Gorge yourself and run.

And I think he's right. And I think it's a problem that runs all the way from Wall Street. To church on a Sunday morning. The thinking that says what's in this for me? The consumer mentality. That says, this is about my needs. And my preferences. And my rights. And my wants. And I'm going to assert myself. To get what I like.

I want to suggest that's exactly the attitude here in 1 Corinthians 11. A passage with two distinct sections. Which at first seem to touch on two distinct issues. And yet underneath, I want to suggest this morning that there's one attitude behind both issues. That's exactly the same.

Two issues that give a snapshot of the Corinthians in church. Praying and prophesying from verse 2 to 16. And sharing the Lords Supper. In verses 17 to 34. And there are problems in both areas that come back to exactly the same point. The Corinthians… are in it for number 1. The Corinthians are forgetting what it means to follow the example of the Apostle Paul. Who follows the example of Jesus Christ. Forgetting the words at the end of chapter 10. Verse 33. Where he says, For I'm not seeking my own good… but the good of many… so that they may be saved. Follow my example… as I follow the example of christ.

Serving in Prayer

So what's it going to mean? In practice? In church? I mean, who would have thought there'd be potential for problems with praying? Of all things? I mean, what can go wrong with a bunch of people getting together praying? He's talking about prophecy as well. Which raises some other questions we'll come back to in chapter 14. But prayer… sounds pretty safe, doesn't it?

Apparently not.

Now as we step into verse 3, you'll realise it's part of a passage that can be contentious. And the biggest problem with a verse like this one is the ways it's been abused. By generations of men. Who absolutely miss the point.

It's a verse about headship. Which to a lot of men sounds quite appealing. And brings to mind visions of the slippers by the fire. The little woman. Who you push around. Who doesn't have access to the bank account… who doesn't have a say. Because you're the man. And you're the head. And she'll do what she's told.

Can I ask you if you're thinking verse 3 is about that, look more closely. And repent. Let's take a look.

"Now I want you to realise, says Paul… "Now I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is man. And the head of Christ is God."

Will you take note before we go any further, the headship he's talking about is modelled on Christ. That somehow the man to the woman is to be like Christ. In his headship.

The sort of headship that started in a stable. And ended on a cross. The sort of headship that knelt down and washed feet. The sort of headship that said, "whoever wants to be first… has got to be slave of all." That said, I didn't come to be served, but to serve. And give my life. As a ransom for many.

And so the Christian order of relationships, that's what headship is going to looks like.

Most Christian men I know struggle with that. And we need to be encouraged in it. And reminded of what Christian Headship looks like. And Christian women are called to respect that sort of headship. And express their respect for it in appropriate ways. It's counter-cultural, isn't it? It's counter-cultural now. And it was counter-cultural back then as well.

Except in Corinth, seems like they've missed the point.

Now I've got to say as we read a chapter like this there are all sorts of customs you're going to find it's tough to make sense of. Head covering customs. Of veils when you pray. Of the length of hair; of shameful women with shaved heads.

It's not so long since we've had customs like that as well. You're a gentleman, you lift your hat to a lady. Why? Who knows. You just did. You're a lady, you keep your hat on when you go indoors; you're a man, you don't. We've got expressions… like you let your hair down. Which means you're ready to party. And there are certain things when it comes to hair that we'd kind of call normal. And other things that draw comment. And not just if you're a world cup soccer player.

So when Demi Moore starred in GI Jane a couple of years back and had her head shaved, it made front page news. The ultimate feminist statement… here's a GI-girl who's just as tough as the GI-guys. With the haircut to prove it.

Now in one way, you'll see echoes of that sort of stuff back in Corinth 2000 years ago. But in another way, it's very different. And so in a way whatever connections we do want to make, be careful. Because there's probably more to it than you think. A mix of Greek culture and Jewish; the temple of Diana up the road with the high priestess and her flowing braided hair; the customs of the Jews.

But the point is, you don't have to understand the details to see exactly what's happening. And that is, there are women in the church in Corinth who are making a point. There are women in Corinth who are rocking the boat. There are women in Corinth who are using the opportunity to pray and to speak in the church… as a point scoring exercise.

And they're doing it by uncovering their heads.

To which Paul at considerable length says, they shouldn't. That when they pray or prophecy, it's no time for a declaration of rights. And a claim for independence. He says, maintain the difference. Verse 4. There's a symbolism they need to respect. He says, women and men are different. "Every man who prays or prophecies with his head covered dishonours his head. And every woman who prays or prophecies with her head uncovered dishonours her head.

We mightn't quite understand the symbolism. but they did. And it's a declaration of independence. At the wrong time. In the wrong place. In the wrong way.

Verse 11. And men and women both need to hear this. A declaration of independence is the wrong way to go. You won't do it these days by taking off your headscarf. But there are other ways, aren't there? We've got symbols of our own. And they say something. Your wedding ring. You slip it off on your way to a party. What's it saying? A very strong declaration of independence. Or word symbols. Like Mrs. Which if you're politically correct you'll replace with Mizz. To express your independence.

Which cuts right against the goal of a church family where each member isn't seeking their own good. But the good of others.

And so verse 11. "In the Lord, however," for us Christians, "woman is not independent of man; nor man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman."

Which means that as we gather to encourage one another, as we gather to pray, as we gather to hear God's word, it's no place to be self serving. It's not the place for a feminist meeting. It's not the place to declare independence. But to express a mutual dependence. In appropriate ways.

The Lord's Supper

There's another thing Christians do when we get together. And that's to share in what we call the Lord's Supper. We Presbyterians have reduced it to a little ritual. In Corinth, the Lord's Supper was a real meal. And by the sound of it, a pretty good meal.

The Lord's Supper is a meal that's meant to be about remembering Jesus. It's a meal that's meant to bring to mind… the heart of our message.

Let's pick up first of all what it's meant to be. And then see what's gone wrong. Verse 23. A description of what the Lord's Supper's all about. And Paul takes us right back to the start. The night before the crucifixion. A Passover meal in an upstairs room.

Whenever you pop the cork on a bottle of wine, he says… whenever you share a meal as Christian brothers and sisters; Jesus said, do it in remembrance... of my broken body on the cross. For you. Remember my blood. That as it drips into the dust, is actually paying your death penalty. As rebels against God.

You know, sometimes remembering is meant to be a very practical thing. I mean, there's the stuff you do in maths at school like quadratic equations and you say "why do I have to remember this"? Because for most of us, it's no use.

But some things are different. Our Jo, she's just got her Learner's Permit. She had to learn the road rules before she could get it. Which as the guy who had to sit beside her the first time she ever went on the road, I'm kind of glad about. I mean, I want her to know that stuff. And I want her to know it inside out. I want her to know that you don't turn in front of the car coming straight at you and expect it to give way. In fact as I'm sitting there beside her trembling, I don't just want her to remember the road rules. I want her to do them.

Now can I suggest you don't need a theology degree to figure out that remembering Jesus who's been crucified as your substitute… remembering the Lord's death in the place of an undeserving sinners… it might dawn on you that there's meant to be some sort of practical model there. For the way you treat other people. But have a look. Verse 20. And see how badly they've gone wrong. And it's a real irony.

When you come together, says Paul, you might think it's the Lords Supper your sharing. But it's not. He says, When you come together, it's not the lords supper you eat. For as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anyone else; One remains hungry, another gets drunk.

I mean, this is every man for himself. This is, let's get the good stuff first. This is, make sure you get a good go at the wine before anyone else gets a turn.

This is the church sausage sizzle where you have four sausage sandwiches and someone else has none. Or morning tea after church. When you're first in the queue. And you fill up your plate with cakes and slices. And who cares about anyone else?

But it's actually worse than that. Because apparently in the church there in Corinth, there are the rich and the poor. And apparently what they're doing in their Lord's Suppers, in theory at least, is having a church meal so that that the rich provide, so the poor members can enjoy a good meal.

Except it's not working. Verse 22; Paul says, Haven't you got somewhere else you can eat? "Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing. The ones who come hungry. Left out in the cold until the upper crust members have eaten all the good stuff. And leave you the crumbs under the table.

And still got the gall to call it the Lord's Supper. Paul says, the Lord who gave up his body and blood for you would want nothing to do with it. Naming rights are revoked! Back at verse 17; he says, your meetings, they do more harm than good. There are divisions, there are squabbles; it's like a meeting of the Australian Democrats. It's every man for himself. Do others in… before they do you.

So stop and think, he says… so you don't sin against the body and blood of the one who bought you. stop and think… before you eat judgement on yourself. look around… and recognise the body of Christ… your church family… and start putting other people first. Even in practical ways like eating a meal. Verse 33… when you come together to eat… wait for each other. If you're hungry, eat at home… so that when you meet together, it won't end up in judgement.

I guess when it comes to the Lords Supper, we Presbyterians have fixed it, haven't we? No way you'll get drunk on a little cup of grape juice. Or full on a centimetre cube of bread. But in a way, turning it into a little ritual doesn't really address the issue – that there's meant to be a fellowship shared around the table. That the Corinthians were totally missing. That it was an opportunity to be like Jesus in putting others first… that the Corinthians had totally reversed.

They'd turned prayer time into a party political statement of feminist rights.

They'd turned the Lord's Supper into a food fight.

Because at every instance, it was every man for himself. And every woman for HERself. Which means it wasn't church… at all.

Because we come together to practice… not seeking our own good… but the good of one another. We come together to encourage one another in following the example of Christ. Week by week as we meet it's meant to be about serving one another. In whatever ways we can.

Can I ask you this morning, why are you here? Because if you're not here to honour the Lord Jesus by the way you serve one another, if you're not here to spur one another on in growing to be more Christlike, you're missing the point. Whether it's in the way you pray, whether it's in the way you sing, whether it's how far back you put yourself in the queue for morning tea; whether it's making the effort to welcome a newcomer; or where you choose to sit – whether it's where you park your car. There are a million ways decisions to make each Sunday morning. A million ways of serving. And I guess a million tempting ways not to. So which is it going to be … for you?