Sermonette: Feb. 24, 2020

Division. No, I’m not speaking of a function of mathematics. And I am not speaking of a grouping of sports teams that get scheduled to play against each other. Neither am I talking about a large military unit like an Infantry or Armored division. While elementary school children might not agree with me, none of these definitions of division are a bad thing. We need to learn how to divide one number by another. It can be a source of pride to win one’s division in sports. NDSU has become very successful in winning it’s division championship in football. And, many of those who served in our armed forces, take a certain pride in the division in which they served. Several of the archers at New Rockford-Sheyenne school do quite well within their division at archery meets.

Division can also be a bad thing; a destructive thing that needs to be avoided. This was what was on the Apostle Paul’s mind as he writes to the church in Corinth. In the first chapter of I Corinthians, Paul tells them to “be in agreement and that there be no division among you.” He also tells them that they should be united in the same mind and the same spirit. He isn’t saying that they should all think the same way and like all the same things. No, not that at all. God has made us individuals and of course we will like different things. That’s why we have different makes and models of automobiles, untold flavors of ice cream and the various types of cookies. We have differing viewpoints on politics, movies, music, books and most anything else. No, this isn’t what Paul was getting at. He was chiding them not only because of their divisions, but he knew what the consequences could be. He was concerned with their spiritual growth. He gave them the basics of what God and the resurrected Christ meant to them and to all the world. But, they had begun arguing about who was best among them and forgetting that Christ should be the one they boasted about, not of themselves. He tells them that the seeds have been planted, the ground watered, foundations have been laid and they need to remember that in order for them to grow and build their faith. They needed to remember that Christ is the one who makes the seed germinate and grow, the one who will ultimately bring us to the Father.

The very thing that worried Paul 2000 years ago still holds true today. What concerned Paul should also be of concern to us. Divisions among us may not only hinder our growth, it could cause it to come to a screeching halt. In our church lives as well as our personal lives, if we wish to grow we need to remember that divisions can only hurt us and we need to work together, not against each other. God has given us the ability to make our own choices. I pray that we choose to allow Jesus Christ to be our master gardener and our master builder. Amen.