Living in the Spirit
September 16, 2023
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-24
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.
What does it mean that Christ crucified was a stumbling block to Jews? I think Isaiah was trying to explain to the Jews the progression of faith when he wrote Isaiah 43:19:
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
We grow stale when we simply move through the motions of faith, whether we be Jews, Christians, Muslims, or other faiths. The Jews of the first century were strong in following their rituals and even their laws. They were comfortable doing that, but some were not ready to take the next steps to spread the love of God throughout the nations, particularly nations that did not respect them. They accepted those who conformed to their practices but remained aloof to others. The Gentiles were opened to new ideas and ways of being caught up in the web of their minds but not so much their hearts. Christ combined the workings of the head and the heart, the morality of justice, and the love of kindness.
We are still growing in our faith. I sense we are in a time of major growth, ready to take the next step up to building the Kingdom of God, the Beloved Community. In some ways, it is scary. After all, some of us have been practicing our faith for years. We study our holy books and try to live what they teach, but there is more. We must take the next steps toward God’s great plan, and that means we must expand our experiences in love as Jesus did, guided by love and being reconciled with all of God’s children.
Isaiah 43:19
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Prayer: Lord, strengthen our being to serve you more nearly as we face the challenges of our troubled world. Amen.