This Is an Orchestra

Ezekiel 37:1-14

1The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2he led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O LORD God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus says the LORD GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.

7So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there came a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the LORD GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

11Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the LORD GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people: and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God

I Corinthians 12:1-22, 26-31

1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking got the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” And no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

4Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All of these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

14Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear would say, “because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many members, yet the one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.

26If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 27Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And God appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; the deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God.

Almost ten years ago, I was in my Introduction to Preaching Class, and had selected Matthew’s version of Peter stepping out of his fishing boat and walking on water. As I was practicing in front of some classmates, one of them challenged me to get out of the boat myself, and step out from behind the pulpit. I was so terrified I was shaking, but faith won’t grow without challenge. So today, I’m going to do something else that’s risky.

There are 22 empty pews in the sanctuary this morning. Last week there were 17. The week before that, there were 22. That doesn’t mean 22 pews with room for more people. That means [x] pews with nobody in them. They are, for all intents and purposes, decorative.

Now we do have such a beautiful sanctuary, and decoration that brings awareness of the grace and glory of God is not out of place in a worship space. But this room is also a greenhouse where we grow faith together as taught through God’s Word. This room is a workshop where the master potter shapes us like clay.

Our sanctuary, from the narthex to the cross, is a stage, we are players on it. God is the audience for whom we perform, and every one of us has a part to play. We are a family of faith, a gathering of Christ’s disciples, a prophetic community, yes. Put another way, this is an orchestra!

I’m not so much worried about the numbers.I have always said that size is not an indication of faithfulness. God has always used small communities, like ours, to do ministry. But I am concerned about the space between us. There’s a reason orchestras sit shoulder to shoulder, no matter the size of the stage. It’s the same reason the linemen on a football team don’t stretch from sideline to sideline, they pack in tightly right in front of the other team. An orchestra wants the biggest possible sound from the smallest possible space. It’s the difference between a beachball and a cannonball.

What kind of impact do you want the ministry of our congregation to have?

This is an orchestra, and all of us have a part to play. None of us play the same part, each of us have to play in order to get that full sound. Or, as the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, “Now there are a variety 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.”

In the first half of the last century, Jazz wasn’t considered an art form like classical music was. It was commercial, popular, but not worthy of real musicians. Then in 1953, a bandleader named Stan Kenton released an album called “New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm.” The album begins with a grand and dissonant fanfare, and then Kenton speaks:

“This is an orchestra. A group of musicians gathered together because of a belief in a particular music. Like all orchestras, this organization is unique, in that the artistic ideal is far more important than personal differences…The character of the music to follow is the result of their understanding and adjustment to each another.”

I’ve played in bands of one form or another for most of my life. I was in the Jazz Band at PC, played lead Trombone. We played a lot of Stan Kenton’s music. For some reason, we had trouble recruiting trumpet players at PC. In a Big Band setting, the lead trumpet player sets the tone. They stand in the back row and pass their style forward so that everyone can hear their interpretation of the music. We never found one who could really step into that role. So I tried to do it from the lead Trombone seat.

It didn’t work very well. It’d be like if the center on a football team held on to the ball and threw it because he didn’t trust the quarterback. That wasn’t my position on the team. That wasn’t my part to play. Eventually, I learned that I had to leave room for our trumpet section to grow into that role, rather than taking it from them.

I think I’ve been doing the same thing in our congregation. This is an orchestra, and the Pastor is the conductor, not the featured soloist. I cannot play your parts for you. I cannot do your ministry. I cannot share your gifts. “To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All of these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.” I can encourage you, guide you, help you develop those gifts. But if you don’t offer your gifts, talents, and abilities to God, then your part will go unheard. I cannot play it for you, and I’ve decided I’m going to stop trying, because if I’m trying to offer someone else’s gift, then I cannot offer mine.

This is a congregation: a group of gathered together because of a belief in a particular mission. Like all congregations, this organization is unique, in that the missional ideal is more important than personal differences... The character of the music to follow is the result of our understanding and adjustment to the Gospel.

We’re all in this together, folks. From the very young to the very old. From the far left, to the right wing. From the lifelong member to the new converts. The Holy Spirit has breathed life into our dry bones, and given each of us gifts for ministry. This is an orchestra. “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; the deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”

In the coming months, the Stewardship team will be developing and distributing a “Time and Talents” survey. The goal will be to help our members identify the gifts they have been given, and to help each member of this orchestra decide which part they want to play in our shared mission. This is, after all, your church, your congregation, your orchestra. If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul, there are still ways to share your gifts. Growing faith together as taught through God’s Word means being challenged to trust God with gifts you don’t even know how you will use. Have faith to offer them to God anyway.

During the children’s sermon, the young ones distributed 14 envelopes, and I asked you not to open them. We don’t always know how those gifts will be used when we receive them. If your instinct is to trade away this gift from God, entrusted to you by the children of this church, I want you to be curious as to why you felt that. Those of you who received envelopes may open them.

Our Ezekiel passage has fourteen verses. Each envelope has a single verse of the passage. When the time comes, I want you to read your verse loudly and slowly enough that my ears, damaged by years of band rehearsal, can understand them.

Fellow children of God, in voices from across this faith-guided orchestra, Ezekiel 37, beginning at verse 1:

1The LORD's power overcame me, and while I was in the LORD's spirit, he led me out and set me down in the middle of a certain valley. It was full of bones. 2He led me through them all around, and I saw that there were a great many of them on the valley floor, and they were very dry. 3He asked me, "Human one, can these bones live again?" I said, "LORD God, only you know." 4He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, Dry bones, hear the LORD's word! 5The LORD God proclaims to these bones: I am about to put breath in you, and you will live again. 6I will put sinews on you, place flesh on you, and cover you with skin. When I put breath in you, and you come to life, you will know that I am the LORD." 7I prophesied just as I was commanded. There was a great noise as I was prophesying, then a great quaking, and the bones came together, bone by bone. 8When I looked, suddenly there were sinews on them. The flesh appeared, and then they were covered over with skin. But there was still no breath in them. 9He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, human one! Say to the breath, The LORD God proclaims: Come from the four winds, breath! Breathe into these dead bodies and let them live." 10I prophesied just as he commanded me. When the breath entered them, they came to life and stood on their feet, an extraordinarily large company. 11He said to me, "Human one, these bones are the entire house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely finished.' 12So now, prophesy and say to them, The LORD God proclaims: I'm opening your graves! I will raise you up from your graves, my people, and I will bring you to Israel's fertile land. 13You will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, my people. 14I will put my breath in you, and you will live. I will plant you on your fertile land, and you will know that I am the LORD. I've spoken, and I will do it. This is what the LORD says.”

This is the Word of the LORD,

Thanks be to God.