Ordinary Times

January 19, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? –1 Corinthians 1:10-13

I have lived through these battles on various church related issues. The most outrageous one I remember was when I was a child. The board of my church determined that the chairs at the communion table were getting rickety and needed to be replaced. A committee was appointed, and they chose to purchase upholstered chairs instead of strictly chairs made of wood and the fight began. Scriptures were exchanged supporting all sides opinions. Some families left the church over this incident. I must admit it was a great learning experience for me as a child teaching me an important lesson regarding the hard work needed to be one in Christ.

Our faith groups inability to find oneness spills over into our government. The greatest challenge in our world today is seeking the Common Good. I wonder sometimes if there is such a thing. I just heard a report on a news program that there is a crisis across the US regarding how to feed our public-school children. Public education is the foundation of any democracy. Everyone learns better when they are not hungry. Approximately 50% of public school students in Oklahoma are eligible for free lunch (2023) * They are not the problem. The problem is our poverty rate is so out of date that the families whose incomes exceed the levels used to determine eligibility for these programs cannot afford them. Why are we not including funding the feeding all the children in public school? They are our future, and we want them all to be the very best adults they can be.

The idols of greed, lust for power, and bigotry blind us to what is right, what is just regarding our faith experiences and our search for the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get so caught up in being right, we become wrong. Amen.

*https://www.publicschoolreview.com/free-lunch-stats/oklahoma

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.