1 Corinthians 12: 20-31a

“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” vs. 26

Contemporary culture, particularly in the Western World, is marked by a strong preference for rugged individualism, an attitude that has crept into the way we articulate our faith. Often we hear talk of personal relationships with Jesus and the resulting individual salvation that is ours. It’s a perspective that seems natural to us but it’s relatively rare in our scriptures. In the Old Testament the emphasis is on the nation of Israel and its liberation from the bondage of Egypt. There’s virtual no conversation about the salvation of individuals. The New Testament picks up that theme with its language about the Body of Christ and our participation in it. Paul tells us that individuals are inextricably bound together in the Church and what affects one member affects all. When one suffers, all suffer; when one is honored, all rejoice. It’s been hard to hang on to this concept in a culture that is obsessed with individual rights and that minimizes collective responsibility. We’ve been taught from our youth that we are to take care of ourselves and look out for number one. Paul’s use of the body metaphor is meant to negate some of that thinking. We are at our best as the people of God when we lay aside our obsession with personal salvation and begin to value the needs of others as much as our own. Individually we are weak and needy…together we are strong!

Thought for the Day: If I don’t look out for myself, who will?

1 Corinthians 12:12-19

“For 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.” vs. 12

Paul uses the human body as a metaphor to help the Corinthians understand the nature of the church, which is in turn the Body of Christ. It’s a simple illustration, one easily understood by most readers. We know that our bodies have various parts: hands, arms, feet, legs, head, heart…the list goes on and on. All those parts are knitted together to make one body…and with the possible exception of the appendix, all the members are necessary. Likewise, in the Church every single person is important and has a distinctive role to play. And just as a body wouldn’t work well if arms and legs chose to act independently, the Church doesn’t function well when individuals act like they don’t need each other. Now a body can survive when parts are amputated or removed, but it loses a ton of maneuverability. The same thing is easily observable in the Church. When people drop out, the effects are chillingly apparent…what could be an active, vibrant organization is forced to limp along at a fraction of its capability. Worse than that, the mission of Christ in the world is limited…God’s work is left undone. On the other hand, a congregation with active and engaged members is bound to be a powerful force for good in the world.

Thought for the Day: What is my role in the Body of Christ?

Psalm 19

“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” vss. 1,3-4

Pastors, jealous of nature’s hold on our imagination, will often disparage those who would rather go to the mountains than sit in a closed space for droning sermons. The psalmist would have been puzzled by their diatribes. For him the finest homilies came from nature. He says, “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” There are no words…no discernible sounds, yet nature speaks more eloquently than any preacher of the wondrous majesty of our Lord. And it’s a language everyone can understand…there’s no translation necessary. We who have seen the vibrant colors of sunrises and sunsets know the truth of what the psalmist writes. Some days the beauty is so breathtaking we have to stop in our tracks or even pull off the road to take it all in. We can’t even find adequate words to describe what we’ve seen and experienced. It’s humbling for us to know that nature can surpass Van Gogh in painting a picture of resplendent beauty. All we can do is utter a “Wow” and bow our hearts in praise of the universe. Think of it, even if we’ve never read a bible we can see the glory of God every single day!

Thought for the Day: Where does nature speak to me most clearly?

Nehemiah 8:8-10

“So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” vs. 8

The bible isn’t an easy read. Written by scribes in different languages, reflecting the culture and family systems of ancient times, it provides a real challenge to all who struggle to figure it out. In fact, with 66 different books, each the product of multiple authors and editors, it’s more like a library than a single book. In its pages we find oracles from prophets, ancient laws, dynastic histories, psalms and prayers, letters, parables, fables, and even a few ancient Hebrew myths. It was only after an amazingly complex history of redaction and compromise that our current version of scripture was declared authoritative almost 2000 years ago. So it’s no wonder that we struggle to understand its meaning. Even the folks in Ezra’s day needed some solid interpretation. In our time we not only have a multitude of commentaries and guidebooks to help us get a sense of context and meaning, many of us also have pastors who been trained by biblical scholars as part of their seminary education. With them as our guides we can begin to apply biblical truths to the situations of life that we face today. The bible is more than classical literature, it’s a living book that gives wisdom and understanding to the faithful of every time and place. Through it God speaks to our hearts!

Thought for the Day: Who has made the bible come alive for me?

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6

“all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel.” vs. 1

It was a big day for Israel. The exiles had brought with them from Babylon scrolls containing what was likely portions of the book of Deuteronomy, and Ezra the scribe arranged to have it read publicly in Jerusalem. The scene reminds us of the time during the reign of Josiah shortly before the fall of Judah when the king ordered what was likely the same material to be read before the people. These were the first times in Israel that the written word was given authority as a guide for holy living. Before this the word of the Lord came solely through the oracles of the prophets. In our day we’ve become accustomed to think of the bible as a holy book and many people read portions every day. Naturally we have our favorite sections. Some like the psalms while others are drawn to the gospels…not so many would turn first to the laws of the pentateuch. That kind of reading is important for all of us. The bible is our community’s book and in it we discover the values and teachings of our spiritual ancestors. Most importantly, it’s in the bible, the written word, that we are introduced to Jesus, the incarnate Word, the one in whom we find enlightenment and life.

Thought for the Day: What’s my favorite part of the bible?

John 2:5-11

“Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” vs. 11

Oenophiles have long rejoiced in John’s assertion that God’s glory was first revealed in Jesus through the turning of water into wine. In their estimation it marks wine as the world’s most divine beverage and destroys whatever similar claims brewmasters might make for their products. Of course that’s not what John had in mind at all…he mentions the wedding at Cana only to show that belief is triggered by experience and not by theological claims. Jesus’ disciples believed because they saw God revealed in his actions…even the mundane act of supplying good wine for a wedding feast. That’s still the way faith is formed in followers of Jesus. We don’t believe because of what others tell us about Jesus, we come to believe because we see the Spirit of Jesus active in their lives. When we see water becoming wine, the ordinary made holy, love active in compassion, we see the glory of God and are drawn to make our mentor’s journey our own. During this season of Epiphany we’ll be keeping our eyes open wide to see such manifestations of glory in the lives of the saints. We’ll not be looking for magic tricks or psychic wizardry…no, we’ll be moved by the light we see in people’s eyes and the spirit-enhancing passion of their actions and smiles. In them we’ll experience the good life…and maybe even share a glass of wine.

Thought for the Day: Where have I seen God’s glory revealed?

John 2: 1-4

“And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’” vs. 4

The gospel writer John choose seven signs to show how the glory of God was made known to observers in the life and ministry of Jesus. In his record the first of these divine epiphanies took place at a wedding celebration in the village of Cana, not far from Nazareth. Jesus and his disciples are presumably enjoying themselves when a crisis arises…there is no wine! Informed of the problem by his mother Jesus indicates that it’s not his business…or hers. It’s the kind of situation faced regularly by those who have committed themselves to do the work of Jesus in the world. We learn from experience that sometimes we have to say “no” to the requests that come our way. Not only is it impossible to fix every problem, we all need time to focus on our own needs and interests. So sometimes we have to back away in order to build back energy for loving engagement with the world. It’s the healthy thing to do. Invariably though, right in the middle of our downtime someone will come asking for our help, and then pay no attention to our refusal. Amazingly, many times these will turn out to be real “God moments.” In spite of our reluctance, the light of Christ shines from within, the glory of God is made known, and there is celebration all around!
Thought for the Day: Times I’ve said “yes” when I wanted to say “no.”

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” vs. 7

Paul believed that in Christ every congregation would thrive as individuals were given opportunity to use their spiritual gifts. He had experienced the differences that exist among disciples and knew that no one person is exactly like another. Each had been gifted in a particular way. He even mentions some of those gifts in his letter to the Corinthians: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing,miracles, tongues…the list probably could go on and on. Under the best circumstances congregations provide a fertile environment for the use of those spiritual gifts. There is no competition or showing off…there is no hierarchy of gifts. Those who exercise their gifts will do so with a spirit of humility and kindness…and no one’s gift will be considered insignificant. Unfortunately brothers and sisters in Christ have had a difficult time creating such an atmosphere. Too often there has been bickering and savage in-fighting…occasionally people have been discounted and precious gifts have gone unappreciated and unused. It’s just so hard to keep the common good Paul talks about at the center of our life together. We get caught up in our individual needs, wants, and desires and the Body loses energy and effectiveness. Each of us has a gift that can be used in our mission…what a blessing it is when we get to use it!

Thought for the Day: What is my spiritual gift and how am I using it in my congregation?

1 Corinthians 12:1-6

“Now there are varieties 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.” vss. 4-6

Paul had been touched by the Spirit in a big way in his encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus. From that point on his life was Spirit-driven and Spirit-led, and he desperately wants the congregation in Corinth to recognize the presence of the Spirit within their community. They had begun to experience division and faced the prospect of splintering into multiple groups. It’s a typical human behavior. We love to set ourselves up in positions of power while relegating others to inferior status. Jesus had faced the same tendencies in his disciples in Galilee. Paul tells the Corinthians that they are all Spirit-filled…that’s why they had acknowledged Jesus as Lord. No one of them was any better than any other…and all of their gifts, services, and activities had come from the same God. That truth has been so difficult for the Church to take to heart. And through the years more and more attention began to be paid to position and status. Women were marginalized, men took over, and belief became more important than fruits. But the Spirit was never stifled! The Church has survived and even today we see examples of Spirit-filled communities engaged in the compassionate work of Jesus. In them we see the Light of Christ shining bright!

Thought for the Day: What gifts has the Spirit activated in me?

Psalm 36:8-9

“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” vs. 9

For the material minded life in this world can be pretty dismal. Pleasure is connected to accumulation and success is measured by financial portfolios. There’s a game to be played and massive energies are exerted to be on the winning side. Little attention is paid to compassion or service…everything depends on power and domination. The law of the jungle prevails and the strong devour the weak. The psalmist knew that world and rejected its values in favor of a vision centered on the all-encompassing presence of God. He proclaimed that beyond the world our senses report there exists another realm, one that he knew as the dwelling place of the Lord. The psalmist spoke the truth and those who take time to exercise the powers of the spirit understand his words. They know beyond a doubt that with God is found the fountain of life. In God their spirits soar and the joy and wonder of creation explodes. They find pleasure in the moment and know that there’s more to living than simply existing. Their highest value is compassion rooted in the mind-blowing steadfast love of our Lord and modeled in the Way walked by Jesus. Among them there is no darkness at all, for their journey is lit by the eternal light that shines from the face of God.

Thought for the Day: How can I exercise the power of my spirit?