Epiphany
February 17, 2017
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23
Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,
‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’,
and again,
‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are futile.’
So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. –1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Who do we trust? Several years ago, when I was obese, I participated in a mandatory ropes course with my fellow executives to develop our teamwork skills. One of the tasks was to pick up and pass each participant through a steel web of randomly sized holes each of which could only be used once. It also had to be accomplished without the person being transferred touching the ground until they were completely on the other side. I was not sure I could fit through any of the holes and I was not too thrilled with being picked up by several people and handed over to the receivers. My transfer occurred in the middle of the process along with those who would require more than one person on each side to complete the hand off. While I hated the process, and would never choose to do it again, it did teach a vital lesson. We live in a diverse world including people with varying needs. We live in a diverse world with people of varying skills and talents. Our task is to find wholeness for all by meshing needs with appropriate skills and talents. Every human has needs as well as the ability to help others.
To be a part of God’s team working to bring about God’s Kingdom, we the people must thoughtfully consider the best and most productive ways to meet the Common Good and find or become the leadership that can and will implement them. Such actions require us to work with peoples of other faiths and people of no faith at all. It may require us to identify the practical and pragmatic sense of what it means to love our neighbors as we love ourselves so that the people with whom we are building this nation can feel comfortable working with us without concern that we are forcing our faith on them. God, it seems, is pragmatic so are God’s ways. In searching for openings too explain our values we may find that some of them are not of God at all. Likewise, if we can explain our vision in God’s universal terms, we may help others see the virtue of God who we love.
Prayer: God help us put our trust in you to guide our actions. Enable us to grow closer to you so that we readily recognize you in everything we do. Amen.