January 21
Luke 4:14-21, I Corinthians 12:12-31a
The Corinthians passage for this week is the continuation of a conversation Paul has been having with the church in Corinth about community and gifts. The Corinthian church became one of the largest and most active of all those founded by Paul and his co-workers. It also became a church full of conflict from the beginning. Much of the conflict was caused by an inability of those of differing economic and social standings to work together. In Chapter 11 Paul has castigated the more wealthy (and therefore powerful) members of the church for coming to worship (which included a meal) and not sharing food with the poorer members of the church. He tells them that to celebrate the Lord's Supper without discerning the body of Christ is to eat and drink judgement on oneself. Although some consider that to mean literally discerning the physical body of Christ in the bread, Paul's greater context has been an understanding of the church as a whole as the body of Christ.
That theme continues in chapter 12, where he begins the chapter discussing the great variety of the gifts of the Spirit and how all of them are to be used not for personal gain, but for the "common good." Everyone has gifts, he says, and the Spirit hands them out as God chooses.
Now he goes on to say that the body of Christ (the church) is just like the human body: having many parts which are necessary to each other. Baptism makes us that body, no matter what our national or ethnic or religious background was before, and no matter our economic or social status (Jew or Greek, Slave or Free, and elsewhere Paul adds Male or Female). Apparently in Corinth those who had the gift of speaking in tongues had been promoting themselves without having someone translate what they said, therefore depriving people of the prophecy while making themselves seem spiritually superior to other members. Paul reacts elsewhere with anger to this practice. Yes, he says here, some do speak in tongues, but that is only one of the several indispensable gifts the Spirit gives for the working of the Body of Christ.
He then catalogs our various body parts, including those we hide away, and reminds us they are indispensible to the whole and work together for us every moment of every day. At the end of the catalog, he tells us that NOW we are the body of Christ. Note that he doesn't say, "You should become the body of Christ," but "you ARE the body of Christ." It doesn't happen by our actions, but by our baptisms. Therefore our gifts are to be used as Christ used his gifts, for the building up of the body. Everyone's gifts are to be valued and used. Then Paul follows by saying that using the gifts is important, but that there is still "a more excellent way." Then we get the chapter on love. But that is for next week.
The Corinthians passage for this week is the continuation of a conversation Paul has been having with the church in Corinth about community and gifts. The Corinthian church became one of the largest and most active of all those founded by Paul and his co-workers. It also became a church full of conflict from the beginning. Much of the conflict was caused by an inability of those of differing economic and social standings to work together. In Chapter 11 Paul has castigated the more wealthy (and therefore powerful) members of the church for coming to worship (which included a meal) and not sharing food with the poorer members of the church. He tells them that to celebrate the Lord's Supper without discerning the body of Christ is to eat and drink judgement on oneself. Although some consider that to mean literally discerning the physical body of Christ in the bread, Paul's greater context has been an understanding of the church as a whole as the body of Christ.
That theme continues in chapter 12, where he begins the chapter discussing the great variety of the gifts of the Spirit and how all of them are to be used not for personal gain, but for the "common good." Everyone has gifts, he says, and the Spirit hands them out as God chooses.
Now he goes on to say that the body of Christ (the church) is just like the human body: having many parts which are necessary to each other. Baptism makes us that body, no matter what our national or ethnic or religious background was before, and no matter our economic or social status (Jew or Greek, Slave or Free, and elsewhere Paul adds Male or Female). Apparently in Corinth those who had the gift of speaking in tongues had been promoting themselves without having someone translate what they said, therefore depriving people of the prophecy while making themselves seem spiritually superior to other members. Paul reacts elsewhere with anger to this practice. Yes, he says here, some do speak in tongues, but that is only one of the several indispensable gifts the Spirit gives for the working of the Body of Christ.
He then catalogs our various body parts, including those we hide away, and reminds us they are indispensible to the whole and work together for us every moment of every day. At the end of the catalog, he tells us that NOW we are the body of Christ. Note that he doesn't say, "You should become the body of Christ," but "you ARE the body of Christ." It doesn't happen by our actions, but by our baptisms. Therefore our gifts are to be used as Christ used his gifts, for the building up of the body. Everyone's gifts are to be valued and used. Then Paul follows by saying that using the gifts is important, but that there is still "a more excellent way." Then we get the chapter on love. But that is for next week.
posted by shelly @ 10:43 AM
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