Being All Things

HOMILY, ST. PAUL’S, FOLEY – 5 EPIPHANY, YEAR B

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

 

TEXT:                        1 Corinthians 9:16-23

 

 

            The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Starkville, Mississippi, was one of my cures during my active ministry.  Those were eight of the happiest years of my life.  I love to tell folks about my time there – the wonderful group of octogenarians in the congregation, the special Thursday services with unction, the lunches afterwards, the bizarre Vestry retreats, great friends, wonderful baseball, and growth opportunities causing me to expand my horizons.

 

            But there was a problem.  Not one easily resolved.  Starkville is the city where Mississippi State University is located.  The president of the university, Dr. Donald Zacharias, attended the church.  Faculty members and students abounded. One of the gifts I received at my Celebration of New Ministry was a maroon blazer.  Clear enough?

 

            The problem was that I had attended Ole Miss.  I had been reared on Ole Miss.  One of my teenage idols was Archie Manning, My parents had met at Ole Miss.  I bled red and blue.

 

            Rudyard Kipling had written, “Never the twain shall meet.” But, in this case, they had to.

 

            Again, and again, incredulous Ole Miss friends and skeptical parishioners posed a question to me: “How do you do it?  How are you both an Ole Miss fan and a pastor to Bulldogs?”

 

            It was resolved instinctively, in a scriptural way.  It is in our lesson from First Corinthians today.  St. Paul wrote these words: “I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.”

 

            He said even more before. “For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak.”

 

            Paul’s wisdom speaks to us down through 2,000 years of history.

 

            The best we have to offer others is our own example. St. Francis said, “Preach the gospel always, and if necessary, use words.” That means that our very lives – how we walk the walk – should bear witness to what we believe. Our actions are more important than our words.

 

            In fact, our lives do bear witness to our beliefs.  Think about that.

 

            What I came to know in Starkville was humbling.  It was not I who was molding others; it was I who was being molded.

 

            Sometimes we learn that lesson when we are being all things to all people.