“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 12 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com

March 13, 2009 at 5:45 am Leave a comment

radio-mic-1 “It’s no big deal if I don’t get this.” That is what I kept telling myself after I went in for an interview at KASE 101, a country radio station in Austin. “There are other jobs out there. It’s no big deal.” But the fact of the matter was, it was a big a deal. It was my second year in college and I was in desperate need of a job to pay my bills. And I didn’t really want to work at Taco Bell, even though it was a staple of sustenance during my college career. And so outwardly, I played it cool: “It’s no big deal if I don’t get this.” Inwardly, however, I was crying out to God in prayer: “Please! Please! Please! Please! I need this, God!” And mercifully, I got the job. On my birthday, nonetheless. At 19, I began working as a DJ at Austin’s number one radio station, KASE 101.

Perhaps you can relate to this experience. You say it’s no big deal. But really, it is. Your hands are shaking as you think to yourself, “If I ask her out and she says, ‘No,’ it’s no big deal. There are other fish in the sea.” But really, you know that if she says “no,” you’ll be emotionally shattered. Or, your body is aching after you take a fall flat on your face, all while saying to concerned bystanders, “It’s no big deal. I don’t need to go the doctor. I’m fine.” But really, you know that you can barely contain a yelp of pain. No matter what we may say, to others or to ourselves, things which we oftentimes say are “no big deal” are precisely that.

In our reading for today from 2 Corinthians 12, Paul does not even try to pretend that his love, longing, and concern for the Corinthians is “no big deal.” He writes to them, “What I want is not your possessions, but you” (verse 14). Paul has a deep desire for the hearts, minds, and souls of his beloved congregation. The Christians of Corinth are a big deal to him. He goes on to speak as a love-sick father, yearning for the Corinthians to love him in return: “If I love you more, will you love me less” (verse 15)? Clearly, Paul’s passion and compassion for the Corinthians is a big deal. And Paul makes no effort to hide that.

One of the beauties of our heavenly Father is this: in the same way that Paul, as the Corinthians’ spiritual father, has deep passion and compassion for his beloved congregation, our heavenly Father has deep passion and compassion for us. He speaks to us as our love-sick Father, eager for us to love him even as he has loved us. What he asks of Peter, he asks of us: “Do you love me” (John 21:17)? Our answer is a big deal to him.

In ancient Greek philosophy, God was conceived of as immoveable, aloof, and unfeeling. No less than Aristotle called God the “Unmoved Mover.” In other words, while God may have been the one to move the cosmos into existence, God himself could not and would not ever be moved by a mere mortal. The Scriptures, however, paint a very different picture of God from that of Aristotle. The Scriptures remind us that we serve, believe, and hope in a God who is always on the move and on a mission, driven by his love for us, so that we too may move toward him and be on a mission for him. Indeed, when necessary, God even moved across the infinite to the finite to redeem us and capture that which is most precious and valuable to him: our hearts. Why? Because we’re a big deal to God. So today, pray to God, “Where will your plan take me? Where would you like to move me?” And then follow. After all, God has already moved all the way from heaven to earth…because you’re a big deal.