All Things to All People - Sermon, February 5, 2012

Sermon: February 5, 2012, The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B
Ron Olsen


1 Corinthians 9:16-23

“I have become all things to all people.” That sounds like a quote from one of the would-be candidates as they scramble around the country rather than something St. Paul said. And, out of context, it sounds pretty shallow and insincere. But I think we do Paul a disservice if we think he’s being manipulative or insincere – though he is certainly brisk. His communication style can be impersonal – take him seriously, but not personally.

This reminds me of one of the things I admired about both The Bee and The Record – their commitment to training. I especially remember communications seminars based on personality types.

A number of consultants offer training based on personality type. The names of the types vary, but most identify four types. The names I’m familiar with are: dominant, expressive, analytical and amiable . The idea was to understand how each type of personality liked to give and to receive information, and then modify your style to fit how the customer liked to receive information and make decisions. (This was for the sales department.) I think that’s what Paul is doing – modifying how he communicates his message of Christ to fit his audience.

I’d guess Paul to be a dominant – bottom line, he’d say, “get to the point, I’ve got souls to save.” Though he probably wouldn’t have explained why he wanted you to get to the point. He would expect you to know there is only one thing on his to-do-list: bring people to Christ.

St. Peter must have driven Paul nuts… I’d peg Peter as an expressive –thinks out loud, meet him and he is your new best friend, everything is about relationships – so he is ready to leave his nets to follow Jesus when asked. This “quick to react” characteristic could also get him into trouble. For example when Jesus was walking on the water towards him: (Matthew 14: 28-31), “ And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?””

St. Thomas was definitely an analytical – they are the type of people who need a lot of information before they can act. (John 20: 24-28) Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” But the following week when Jesus showed him his hands… Jesus “said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”” He’d gotten the information he needed …his commitment to spreading the word of Christ took him to India where he was martyred for converting a high official’s wife and son to Christianity.

The last group is amiable; from the little we are told about Peter’s brother Andrew I’d classify him as an amiable … they like to get other peoples opinions, they are sensitive to others. After he and another of John the Baptist’s disciples spent the day with Jesus , Andrew went and found his brother and gave him the good news “we have found him.” Amiables want to fit in.

Along with adjusting to these personality types, Paul would also need to adjust to how much they already knew. Paul was a Jew, so he and his Jewish audience would know the Old Testament and the laws. For non-Jews he would have to explain Jewish customs.

As gentiles we are “ones outside the law,” though like Paul, we are “not free from God’s law but are under Christ’s law,” under the new covenant – the new relationship with God. Christ promised that we would join him and have life in all its fullness. Our part of the covenant is to believe in Christ and keep his commandments: Love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind. And to love our neighbor, not just as ourselves, but as Christ loves us.

The message is simple: Jesus came into the world to save sinners, because we can’t do it on our own. Now I know that Episcopalians are not known for evangelizing, but just for a few minutes lets pretend we are Paul – and we just happen to have our prayer book with us. We meet someone who notices the prayer book and comments that they are kind of looking for a church, but don’t know anything about the Episcopal Church. After the time and location of services what information, would we share? How about The Catechism which begins on page 845. For Dominants – I’d go directly to the “New Covenant” on page 850 – it is short, to the point and tells what action must be taken. The Creeds would answer any questions they might have. Relationships are what ring Expressives’ bells so I’d include God the Father, God the Son, Corporate worship and then the New Covenant. Analyticals are easy, start at the beginning and go through the Catechism line by line. Amiables would require the same information as the Analyticals, only they’d be best served hearing it at an inquirer’s class so they could hear what others think. Paul was not manipulative, he was just ahead of his time when it came to communicating his message.

It is not so much that Paul was all things to all people, but that his message was: Jesus’ saving grace is open to all, it is the message that is everything to all people. Amen.