DAY 251

WISDOM: WILL YOU SEEK IT?

Proverbs 1 & 2 and 1 Corinthians 16

As we come to the end of 1 Corinthians we see the amazing personal nature of the letter and the vision of a unified body…there is a common theme and a wisdom in this message. Wisdom is the dominant subject in Proverbs. What follows is the introduction of that book from the English Standard Version Bible.

“Practical wisdom for living is the central concern of the book of Proverbs. We are told that the beginning and essence of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (1:7, 9:10). Proverbs often contrasts the benefits of seeking wisdom and the pitfalls of living a fool’s life. While the wicked stumble in “deep darkness” (4:19), “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until the full day” (4:18). Proverbs is a collection of Israelite wisdom literature, including an introductory section (chs. 1-9) that gives the reader a framework for understanding the rest of the book…it dates from between the tenth and sixth centuries B.C.”

Throughout this book we will be given short pithy phrases, some that are quite humorous and even “politically incorrect.” The first two chapters deal with a more fundamental situation. The value of wisdom is extolled and the folly of foolishness pointed out…But beyond foolishness's folly is its forcefulness. Proverbs speaks of all that opposes wisdom as an adulterous woman with smooth words. Quite simply this book will highlight the wrestling we do as we try and choose good.

Today ponder the worth of Wisdom…is it worth pursuing for you? The Bible suggests that if you are to pursue it, then you are to start with the Lord…for the beginning of wisdom is to fear, “to be in awe” of the Lord.

DAY 250

FROM CRUX TO APEX

Psalm 148, 149 & 150 and 1 Corinthians 15:29-58

We have reached the end of the psalms, and they end in a cacophony of praise.

In 1 Corinthians we come to some interesting and somewhat, at first, confusing readings. What on earth is this “baptism of the dead?” There are a couple of possibilities, but really only one point. Let’s start with the possibilities.

It is possible that some Christians may have died without being baptized. Consider for example someone who professed Jesus as Lord, but had not yet gone through the ceremony. Maybe some people were baptized on their behalf. If this was the practice it doesn’t seem to have lasted very long. Or maybe it refers to people who were non-Christians, whose close relatives or spouses, who were Christians and died…maybe those non-Christians were baptized in order that they would be united with their loved ones in eternity. Or maybe…or maybe the point is that something that they were doing makes no sense unless there is really a resurrection. It seems to me that this is the point. Yes I would like to know exactly what is being written about, but I need to remember that thrust of the chapter is about the reality of resurrection. There really is resurrection!

The next bit has to do with what a “resurrected body” will be like. We hear of seed sown and how what is grown is different. We hear of the difference between earthly and heavenly bodies. What is going on here? Quite simply resurrection does not equal resuscitation. Lazarus, when Jesus raised him from the dead, was resuscitated. He was the same after being brought back to life. Resurrection is different.

Resurrection is equal to transformation. Resurrection is new life. If we saw ourselves for who we really are when resurrected, I imagine we would be speechless. Resurrection is the power that transforms us into who God really created us to be, as fully human. It is this reality that this chapter has been driving to. Think back to all the trouble in this church. There is quite a bit. Paul takes them, in chapters 12-14 to how to be church and be Christian. Now he points out just exactly “who they are” – this is pretty serious stuff.

You and I are created for eternity with God…that is what the resurrection is about…therefore death has no power for the victory has been won by Jesus. If yesterday the Cross was the Crux of the matter, today the Resurrection is the Apex!

DAY 249

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER

Psalm 146 & 147 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-28

The psalms today invite us to praise God. It might seem like there are so so many. Well we are almost at the end, but if you think about how many hymns have been written over the years, hymns of praise and lament, then I think you can understand. God inspires. 

He certainly has inspired Paul. Paul is not only continuing to press on with the church in Corinth, I think he has gotten to the crux of the matter—apparently some people are denying a resurrection of the dead! I don’t think they are denying Jesus rose from the dead, but rather saying we humans won’t. Here is where Paul jumps on the situation. Jesus was “fully human—fully divine.” We find the fullest image of humanity in Jesus. That “fullest image” is one of eternal resurrected life. This is our “sure and certain hope.”

To separate us from Jesus in this matter of the resurrection, is to separate Jesus from his humanness and us from our full humanity. I say it is the “crux” of the matter because if we are not raised from the dead—if Jesus has not defeated death—then what is the point of his coming to earth? Is it so the Corinthian church can party? Certainly not and in the end of the lesson today we see that Paul expounding how critical Jesus’ death and resurrection is to everything. If we were to place as stars in the sky all the things we have spoken and read about this year there would be a lot of stars…but the Resurrection really is the crux of all it.

When we fully take His resurrection into our hearts and minds and souls, then we, like the psalmist, will be full of praise.

DAY 248

IT IS BETTER TO DRINK WINE FROM A WINE GLASS, THEN LICK IT OFF A TABLE CLOTH

Psalm 143, 144 & 145 and 1 Corinthians 14:21-40

My title today is taken from N.T. Wright’s commentary on 1 Corinthians. I have been deeply immersed in it and a few others given the text. My wife asked, “Is your blog done?” and I answered, “No, today I have to write about why the Bible says “women should be silent in church.”” She just laughed as if to say, “Good luck with that!” So here goes.

I start with the scholarship. Whenever you study these texts you find yourself asking, “Where are the differences?” There are thousands of New Testament texts. Some Gospels and Letters have some differences—they are not exact Xerox copies.** Remarkably the copies of Paul’s letters do not have differences, except for a few notable places. This is one of them. Some of the copies of the letter to the First Corinthians have this bit about women being silent added to the end of chapter 14, as an appendix added by some later scribe.

Scholars have wrestled with whether or not these are Paul’s words. But let us for a moment accept that they are words in the Bible…what then do we do with them? I want us to do with them what we have been doing now for 247 days…let’s look at the context. This letter is all about a prideful church, with people acting out, and apparently leading to disorderly worship—you might say chaos.

My study of the commentaries has resulted in a range of possibilities; all of them end with this general sentiment: “we must remember that this text is speaking to a particular problem in a specific cultural setting.” True enough. We must also remember that this text is speaking to a church that has really lost its way and the letter is urging order. Now I have been in some churches that are so orderly you might think them “dead.” I have been in others that are so chaotic you cannot really get yourself centered and worship God. It seems as if the Corinthians are in the latter category. And so I end with the quote I started with, “It is better to drink wine from a wine glass, then lick it from a table cloth”—some order is good. I think this comment about women is less about keeping women downtrodden (consider 1 Corinthians 11:2-16) and more about an orderly worship. Chapter 11 was all about head coverings, but in that chapter we read specifically about women prophesying...speaking in church!

**I should note that even though I am pointing this out, the New Testament is by far the best preserved book from the ancient world. Classic texts such as Homer and Cicero are preserved in only a handful of texts all much later than the original; the New Testament is preserved literally in thousands of copies all with years of the original.  

DAY 247

TONGUES AND ALL THAT

Psalm 140, 141 & 142 and 1 Corinthians 14:1-20

“Do you speak in tongues?” It is a question I have been asked, more than a few times. When you go to a service where people are praying for God to heal, you are entering the Christian world that is many times labeled “charismatic.” I am not big on labels. I do think God hears our prayers and acts in His world. In that regard I am charismatic. But I am also rather reserved about it. In part because of what we have been reading in this 1^st letter to the Corinthians.

The deeper we get into this letter, the more it seems that this is a church where there are some people who are quite proud of the spiritual gifts they possess. Now we have just read about the church being “a body-each part needs the other” and we have read about how regardless of what spiritual gift you have…the greatest gift is love! And still Paul presses on in chapter 14 discussing “tongues” and “prophesying.” I am getting the sense that pride is a real issue. Let’s define each.

Tongues, or speaking in tongues, is a spiritual gift where people are speaking in a language that most of us cannot understand. The idea is that the person is so communing with God the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit is speaking through them. There are actually two gifts: speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues. Today in the church some argue that this gift is no longer given. Rather than argue about today, let’s get back to the time the text was written. If would appear that people who spoke in tongues “lorded over others” the fact that they did!

Paul challenges that on several fronts. He has challenged it by his comments in chapters 12 and 13, and now he challenges by saying that prophesying is a greater and more useful gift. So what is prophesying?

Prophesying is not picking/predicting the winning PowerBall numbers. Prophesying is speaking God’s truth into a situation. Being able to see a situation for what it really is, and then to speak God’s truth. The Bible says this gift is much better. An example might help. David, after he committed adultery with Bathsheba was challenged by Nathan. You have read this story. God told Nathan to go and tell David a story…Nathan was speaking God’s truth. David when he heard the story was cut to the heart over the sin he committed.

 Knowing that God has put on your heart a message, a message that God has divinely inspired …and you give this message in a language that others understand…is very useful to the community of faith. What is the point of all this…again it is to create a community of people who are less about competing and more about collaborating to witness God’s love to the world.

DAY 246

THE WEDDING READING –

THAT IS NOT ABOUT WEDDINGS!

Psalm 137, 138 & 139 and 1 Corinthians 13

The wedding reading – 1 Corinthians 13 – most of us who have been to a few weddings have heard this read at least once. It is a good reading for a wedding because it describes the character of love; verses 4-7 hones in on what this love looks like. I have commented before that the Greek language has four words for love. This is not the “I love pizza” word. The Greek word, if were to “transliterate it” would look like agape. It is the self-giving love Jesus so often speaks of and practices.

And here we read in the context of how of church, the people in fellowship under the banner of Jesus Christ, are to treat one another. Two areas get my attention.

First this is Paul. For any of us who have ever thought him a tough minded, no nonsense, maybe even heartless fellow, then we need to think again. He writes these words to a church he cares about. It is a church that a few pages earlier he has chided and admonished, but now he tells them about love. His point is that love is more important than all spiritual giftedness, but beyond the theology here, here is Paul’s heart for the Christian life…love each other. Who else said that? Jesus. They will know you are my disciples by how you love one another.

The second area is reflecting on when the churches I have been a part of have behaved this way. We don’t behave this way 100% of the time – we cannot for we are not perfect. But there have been times when I have been in “the Body” and it has seemed like “love”—the kind we read of here—has been the dominant force. It is of course amazing to be in those moments. It is supernatural. It is the love of Jesus pouring out of us and pouring on us. We cannot do it on our own; nor should we want to. Have you ever had someone be patient and kind with you? Have you ever had someone not boast or been rude, but rather believe and hope and endure with you? In those moments the Love of God in Christ is flooding your world…and this love never ends. May we be people who witness this love in our churches.

DAY 245

MANY PARTS – ONE BODY

Psalm 135 & 136 and 1 Corinthians 12

The Psalms sing out in praise as we come to the beginning of a wonderful teaching on what it means to “be church.”

You have read about the division within the church, you have read about the sinful activities within the church, and if you are like me, you have possibly even winced a bit at Paul’s admonishment of them! The root of the issue seems to be that people have not embraced the idea of true fellowship. They seem to be comparing and competing. One person is a good teacher, another is a good administrator. Some seem to have the really flashy spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues. The sense I have gotten from the letter is that some people think they are either special, or more important, or something along those lines, as compared to others. Some apparently have even used their giftedness as justification for not sharing Holy Communion with others and worse, living lives of freely sinning.

So what is the solution? First as to all those spiritual gifts (I will talk about some of the gifts, such as tongues and few others when we read Ephesians at the end of September) we read the critical principle: “To each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” Our gifts are for the common good – we are to serve each other. You might say that the more impressive your gift is – the more responsibility you have in serving others!

Second, beyond the gifts, there is the mere nature of what it means to be part of the church, part of the Body of Christ. Paul’s metaphor here is brilliant. He makes two basic points. First you are part of the Body whether you like it or not! The foot cannot say I do not belong to the body! Next we need all the parts. Can the eye say to the hand I have no need of you? Then he even refines his teaching by speaking about the weaker parts of the body, but how in reality they are indispensable!

For all those times we hare scratched our head with Paul, enjoy this one, it is pretty straightforward. And Now—we are Christ’s Body! Take a moment and think about all the “body parts” of your church…and then give thanks for them.