Here to Represent

The guests at the 2023 Super Bowl party come in. The last two through the door are certainly here to represent. That guy in his green jersey clearly is a fan of the Eagles. He is enjoying himself already in a loud and confident way. That couple has matching red jerseys. We could call them homies because the name on the back of their shirts is Mahomes. This party has two parties of support: the Chiefs and the Eagles.

It is fascinating how sports draw us in to identify with a team. We root and shout whether watching on TV or from the stands of the stadium. The people yelling might have personally played the sport or never have played. They might be from the city of their team or never have set foot in it. Still, their team is their team and it seems as though “fan” must be short for “fanatic.” It is odd how the stands of a football stadium on game day are filled with thousands desperately in need of exercise, and the field holds dozens of players desperately in need of a rest. Oh my! That sounds a little like the church.

We all can strive to be active Christians in ministry: not spectators but engaged in serving. It is a matter of spiritual maturity and personal passion. In the early part of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, he is rallying the community to a better way. He encourages them toward maturity. They have fallen into a party spirit, where they think of themselves as connected to this or that missionary, as though they represent a certain party of the Gospel. Paul urges them to represent passionately only the One at the center of the Good News. It is good for them to show up and represent, but they are to represent God in Christ, not the preachers, Paul or Apollos, for example. Paul declares that their fervent allegiance to the messenger is evidence of their immaturity, their spiritual infancy. He says that he fed them at first with milk, not solid food for they were not ready for it. But he says that by their behavior as people of the flesh and not spiritual people, they show themselves not ready still for solid food

Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:2-9)

We do have the task of representation: we represent Christ. The Book of Common Prayer has a teaching outline in the back. On page 855 it describes the ministry of lay persons in the Church. “The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.” You see, we are all on the same team, and by the way. I think we’re ready for solid food. Let’s all step up and represent. It would be super if we did.