Epiphany 2 / OT 2
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-- 1 Corinthians 1:8
It should jar our ears to hear Paul speak of the church of Corinth appearing blameless. This was a church that existed in the port city of Corinth with its low morals and a higher than normal prosperity. The city was controlled by the few at the expense of the many. The church itself clearly had experienced the strain of arrogance on the part of some toward others. Economic division, sexual problems, and marital difficulties, to name just a few, as well as some serious theological misunderstandings, plagued the church. In one form or another, we see in Corinth many of the problems that threaten the integrity of the church today. Picture writing any of numerous conflicted churches today and saying: "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given to you ... so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift...." Read this passage slowly and insert the name of your church or a neighboring church of which you have felt critical. Hear yourself praying (and believing?) God "will also strengthen [the church you named], so that the church may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." As you read on in Corinthians, it is clear that Paul was not hesitant to criticize and challenge behavior in the church. Yet underneath his criticism was a core belief that "God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Picture how the debates in our churches would be different if they were undergirded by this core belief.
-- 1 Corinthians 1:8
It should jar our ears to hear Paul speak of the church of Corinth appearing blameless. This was a church that existed in the port city of Corinth with its low morals and a higher than normal prosperity. The city was controlled by the few at the expense of the many. The church itself clearly had experienced the strain of arrogance on the part of some toward others. Economic division, sexual problems, and marital difficulties, to name just a few, as well as some serious theological misunderstandings, plagued the church. In one form or another, we see in Corinth many of the problems that threaten the integrity of the church today. Picture writing any of numerous conflicted churches today and saying: "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given to you ... so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift...." Read this passage slowly and insert the name of your church or a neighboring church of which you have felt critical. Hear yourself praying (and believing?) God "will also strengthen [the church you named], so that the church may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." As you read on in Corinthians, it is clear that Paul was not hesitant to criticize and challenge behavior in the church. Yet underneath his criticism was a core belief that "God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Picture how the debates in our churches would be different if they were undergirded by this core belief.
