Lent

March 5, 2021

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

   and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

What is in a word?  How do we perceive the words: wise, foolish, weak, strong, and signs? These are the English translation of the original Greek words Paul used to write the above scripture. We trust the scholars who translated the document did the best they could as objectively as they could. None of us know how the author, Paul, understood these words, and he could not have possibly known how all of us who have read them over the centuries perceived them.

I still remember some 40 years ago, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, our church choir rehearsing for a casual Christmas concert. We did a medley of secular songs, including Deck the Halls. After singing that grouping, a woman raised her hand and wondered if we should include Deck the Halls. I think all of us looked at her with questioning faces. The Director inquired, Why? And she replied because of the phrase Don we now our gay apparel. Some thought we should include it because it was written far before the current controversy regarding homosexuality. Some thought she was being too sensitive. Others thought she was not sensitive enough. We sang the song.

After sending the letter that became I Corinthians, Paul wrote another letter later, numbered 2 Corinthians. He tried to explain some of I Corinthians that he thought its readers might have misunderstood. As our world becomes more inclusive and thus more diverse, we, like Paul, must learn to dialogue with our fellow sojourners as we strive to follow the path Jesus laid before us. We can find common understandings of word and deed and of the stories of Jesus in a very different time and culture than we live in today. Jesus promised to be with us when two or more are gathered together in his name* to sort out our understanding and our responses. Welcoming his presence might be an excellent place to start those discussions.

Prayer: God of all people and all languages and cultures, grant us your grace to find understanding when our diverse background come together to work on being the One Body of Christ. Amen.

*Mathew 18:20

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.