1 Corinthians 3:1-9
“Working Together”
Preached Sunday, February 12, 2023 at Vermilion Grace UMC & via livestream
This morning I want to speak to you honestly and from the heart: I was surprised when on January 9th, I got a call from a District Superintendent telling me that the Bishop and the cabinet had discerned a new appointment for me. I didn’t find out where that appointment was until the following Thursday. Met with their Staff Parish Relations Team on Saturday. No one from our church was notified until late Saturday afternoon. And then it was announced in church on Sunday. Talk about a fast turn around. In that week and the month since, I have been processing this move - as I know all of you have as well.
First, I want to say that, yes - it’s early in the year for us to know that I am moving. It’s because I am taking over the role of pastor from a man who is retiring and his congregation has known for over a year that he would be leaving them. It may be a little longer for us but when it is decided who will be assuming the role of pastor here, it should go just as fast as my process went.
But I have heard some of you ask or wonder - Why does Pastor Allison have to move at all? Things were going so well. Don’t they only move pastors when they retire or things aren’t going well or the pastor has asked to move? Well, no. Having itinerant pastors is part of our core as United Methodists. And we’re going to look a little deeper into that today.
John Wesley was an itinerant preacher. As he founded the Methodist movement, he didn’t have a home church to preach in on a weekly basis. Actually, many Church of England churches kicked him out and he started preaching in fields - that’s where the story of him preaching on his father’s grave came from. He technically owned that plot of land outside the church so they couldn’t throw him out of there! But in his ministry, John Wesley traveled around England, setting up various Methodist societies, checking in on existing ones, and he preached over 40,000 sermons in his lifetime.
When the Revolutionary War started and many Anglican priests fled the colonies to return to the safety of England, there was a pastoral crisis in America. There were not enough clergy. Baptisms weren’t happening. Communities weren’t receiving Holy Communion. And what of weddings and funerals? This was war time and the lack of sacraments and ordained clergy was turning into a spiritual crisis for those living in America. John Wesley’s heart was moved and he “ordained” Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke to be superintendents in America. They then ordained many Methodist clergy. And still, there weren’t enough. And thus the circuit rider was born. A circuit rider’s circuit might be half a state or more and they would travel their circuit, visiting all the congregations along it, perform sacraments while they were there, and after a short while, continue on their circuit. It is out of this tradition that, when the weather was bad, people would say, “This weather is only fit for crows and Methodist preachers!” We were perhaps the original inspiration for the postal services motto -Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds - such were Methodists preachers so committed to their circuits.
And still you might be thinking - that’s nice, Pastor Allison. But Methodist preachers don’t ride horseback across half the state anymore. Times have changed. Times have changed, yes. But the system that exists today for Methodist clergy and churches is rooted in that first system of circuit riders.
Before United Methodist pastors are ordained, we take a vow to be itinerant - that is, we promise before God, the Bishop, and the whole Annual Conference, to go where the Bishop sends us. The Bishop and her cabinet of district superintendents have a prayerful process where they seek to join pastors and their gifts with churches and their needs. A myriad of factors are taken into consideration. And we are only ever appointed for one year at a time.
While many United Methodists, laity and clergy, gripe about itinerancy - allow me to share several benefits to this system:
One - The mission and life of the church is in the hands of the laity, the people in the pews - whether they have been a member for a month or have been in this community for four generations. All the time we see churches in other denominations have a pastor up on a pedestal and if something happens to that pastor or the pastor leaves, there is not enough “ownership” in the hands of the congregation, of the people, for the church to keep on standing. Itinerancy of clergy empowers laity to BE the church and DO the work of the church, without relying on pastors that come and go.
Two - Itinerary keeps us connected in a wider web. Sometimes it might not seem like we’re connected to the larger United Methodist church beyond Shared Ministry giving - but we are. There are people above the pastor who keep an eye on the local church. They resource and equip pastors and congregations. They offer support and mediation when needed. And they keep in mind the needs of the church when it comes time for a pastoral transition.
Three - Our system ensures that our pulpits do not go unfilled. In churches that don’t have an appointment system, a new pastor may not be called to a church for months, a year, or even longer. In United Methodist circles, there is about a week or two of transition. This is some really fast turnaround.
And four - An appointment system helps minority clergy - especially women and people of color - serve churches they would have never been hired by. Would you have hired your first woman pastor when Joan came? Would you have hired a straight out of seminary, 26 year old woman pastor when I came here? You might have! But I am also thinking…maybe not. Those firsts are hard. Our system can help us act more equitably.
There are more reasons but this is dangerously close to turning into a lecture and not a sermon so let's circle back around to today’s Scripture and to Paul.
Paul was a lot like John Wesley. He was starting a movement and was, in essence, an itinerant preacher. He would go from city to city, town to town, and in some places he would plant churches, in others he would check-in with existing Christian communities, and he preached the Gospel everywhere he went. He even kept tabs on the communities he visited and wrote them letters - especially when they weren’t acting like they should - and that’s how we ended up with most of our New Testament. And in this short passage from the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul is a little bit frustrated with the Christian community in Corinth because they are picking sides…based on their leaders.
Look, people are only human, right? Paul says as much to them in this letter, “Are you not merely human?” There must be something within us that wants to draw lines in the sand, perhaps from that primal caveman knowledge that we are safer together…of course, that always turns into, we are safer together because there are other groups that aren’t us! We better fight them before they fight us!
Look around in our world today. It’s not hard to see all the “us versus them”s. On a global scale, we see this playing out in the devastating war in Ukraine - Russians versus Ukrainians.
Closer to home, our headlines are full of “Republicans versus Democrats.”
On a much lighter note, perhaps it’s our sports teams or “Ohio Versus Michigan” where we draw the line.
Whether it’s international or a small community, it’s a human urge to differentiate us versus them. For the Corinthians it was on who was their spiritual leader - their pastor, if you will. For some, they were saying they were followers of Apollos. For others, they were followers of Paul! Internal fighting and not spiritually mature behavior followed.
And while this is a passage about divisions - and there is much that can be preached about on divisions - it’s also a passage about changes in leadership and, ultimately, in trusting in God. “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.” Paul is kind of echoing (or maybe we echoed Paul) our United Methodist theology and practice of leadership. Pastors and spiritual leaders are there for a season and with a task given by God - but we don’t follow human leaders, we follow God, we follow Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, it’s a passage about trusting in God. Paul was speaking to a church that was trying to find their identity in their human leaders and saying: don’t do that! He actually kind of insulted them and called them babies…And I am saying the same to you today. No, I’m not calling you babies! I am saying, don’t look to your human leaders, look to God. Yes, pastors are important and they do a lot in the life of the church, they can set the tone for worship and ministry and mission…and what are they? Just followers of Jesus like all of us are. So, let us not get caught up in who our leader is and look beyond that to God. And, when our next pastor comes, whoever they may be: don’t fall into the comparison game of comparing them to me or Pastor David or Pastor Joan or Pastor Ron or any of the other pastors who have ever been here - because they will be their own unique person with their own unique gifts, sent her by God through the Bishop for a season of ministry.
Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
Friends, God is at work among you. And God will continue to be at work among you. Seeds have been planted here at Grace - the next Pastor may water - but the growth is from God. The Holy Spirit might have even planted seeds we don’t know about yet…isn’t that exciting? I trust that God is doing good work in you and the God who started that good work will see it to completion…and you will work along with God for that! Remember, this is your church, and you are all empowered by God to BE the church and DO the mission of the church.
Let’s hold tight and fast to that. When the move was announced, just about a month ago, I said to this congregation: “Grace is stronger than when I first came here and I think that has a lot more to do with all of you and the work of The Holy Spirit than it does with me. Let us pray for your new pastor, whoever they may be, and be ready to accept them with the same love and care you show me. And I know that Grace can continue on the same path we are on now, because you know who you are, a joyous and caring Christian community, and you know what God is calling you to do, invite all. You've got this. God's got you.”
This all is in accordance with our United Methodist practice and theology of itinerancy - and it fits Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians and to us today - let your ultimate trust be in God.
I started this sermon wanting to speak honestly with you about my upcoming move (It’s not until the summer!) and that is because I know that there are a lot of mixed feelings among you. Many of you are sad. Some of you may even be angry. And I know there is a good level of anxiety and fear for the unknown future. And there may even be sparks of excitement for the new thing that God is going to do through you. Those feelings are all okay - I want you to know that I am feeling all those things too.
And, with this sermon today, I want you to hear this: Trust in God, above all else, trust in God. “I planted. Apollos watered. God gave the growth.” Pray! And trust. God will be with you all.
Amen.
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