Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

1 Corinthians 3: 10 - 23 

Paul has earlier in this chapter complained that the members of the Corinthian church are behaving like little children - and not in a good way.  They are bickering, claiming to be on the side of one or another of their leaders, almost pitting leader against leader in a “My leader’s better than your leader” contest.  This is totally foolish, Paul says.

First of all, he reminds them that their various leaders are fellow servants of the same Master - and that the Master is the one who is important.  The servant may do a particular job well, but it is the Master who plans, guides and in fact brings success to all their efforts.  He has likened it to a garden where the servants plant and water, but the Master brings the growth - a huge difference in quality of work!

Now he carries the comparison into the building world, saying it is like a construction crew building a house: one draws the blueprints (relying on the skills given by God), another puts up walls, another does another task.  Each worker has the responsibility to choose and use top quality materials and top quality skills. Above all, each worker must take care to build on the true foundation already laid down. This reminds me of the parable Jesus used of building on either rock or sand - no matter how much effort or fancy finishing is done, if the foundation is insecure, untrue, or even absent, the structure will fall down.  I watch my grandchildren building towers of blocks - if they do it on a firm surface, things work well; if they do it on an uneven surface, on the couch, or not straight on the block below, all comes tumbling down with the least breath.

From this building picture, Paul makes a quick shift to us as being buildings ourselves - temples - the most valued building in the community because that was the place they thought of as God’s residence.  “You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you?” (16)  What!  Not the product of our hands, but we ourselves!  The builders are more important than the building!  “No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred - and you, remember, are the temple.” (17) Treating each other with the respect and care that is implied here is a tall order!

I think of the Ten Commandments.  God insists that worship and respect must be first and foremost to Him - not to any creation of our hands. (a building!)  Also, from that priority of God comes respect and care for each other, and for ourselves, not using and abusing each other for personal pleasure.  Why not?  Because each one carries God’s indwelling spirit, so abuse of each other is abuse of God.  Strong stuff!!  The last few weeks (well much longer really) the news has been full of all kinds of stories of abuse far away and very close to home, some very open, some behind closed doors.  

Paul is clear that this is not to be how we live or treat each other.  To make political and personal decisions that are based on the foundation that people are where God’s spirit is to be found, will often result in decisions and acts that seem quite ridiculous.  But Paul reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways. “Be God’s fool - that’s the path to true wisdom.” (20)

He concludes  by calling us to an attitude of gratitude - for everything we have as pure gift from God.  This is the best cure for infantile and destructive bickering. And I hear in my head what we say at the end of a reading in church on Sunday: “Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.”   As Samuel replied: “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”  And so I pray that I and we, truly listen.

Blessings,  

Ann Kelland