“Word for Today” – John 1 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I am a child of the Sesame Street generation. I grew up watching Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Bert, Ernie, Snuffleupagus, Grover, and even Mr. Hooper before his untimely passing. And yet, even though I learned about everything a little kid could conceivably be interested in from this timeless children’s classic – from geometry to healthy eating habits to being brave, even in the dark – it was during Sesame Street that I also received my first formal introduction to the great American tradition of unabashed advertising. Yes, I know that Sesame Street airs on the non-profit, commercial-free PBS network, but that didn’t stop the Children’s Television Workshop from receiving large corporate sponsorships resulting in shameless plugs for these same sponsors at the end of each show. You remember, don’t you? “Sesame Street has been brought to you by the letter ‘A.’ The letter ‘Q.’ And the number ‘7.’” Capitalistic commercialization at its best.
If Sesame Street can do it, so can I. So, in the interest of full disclosure, today’s blog is brought to you by the letter “i.”
With that sponsorship mention out of the way, in our “Word for Today” readings, we begin reading through the gospel of John. And, in his opening comments in John 1, we hear a beautifully clear and cogent statement concerning Jesus’ divinity: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (verse 1). Jesus, John says, was the God of the universe. And yet, despite John’s unequivocal affirmation, this fundamental confession of Jesus’ divinity has not always been so readily received.
The year was AD 325. The emperor of Rome at the time, Constantine the Great, had convened an ecumenical church council at Nicea to discuss many things, one of which was the formulation of a formal confession of the Christian faith. Dispute broke out, however, as to how Jesus should be described. And this dispute was brought to us by, you guessed it, the letter “i.” Many in this church council, led by a man named Athanasius, thought that Jesus should be referred to using the Greek word homoousious, meaning that he was “of one substance with God.” That is, many affirmed John’s declaration: Jesus is God. Another contingent, however, led by a man named Arius, wanted to refer to Jesus using the word homoiousious, meaning that he was “of like substance with God.” One letter. A world of difference. One side clearly confessed Jesus’ divinity. The other side demanded a confession that referred to Jesus as God-like, but not God himself.
Now, lest you think that this dispute is a mere relic best kept sitting on the dusty shelves of history, let me assure you that how you answer this dispute has profound implications for how you perceive God. The question is this: How close do you think God is? Does he simply reside in heaven, watching with a passive, even if intense, interest at our sinfulness, brokenness, and pain? Or, has God actually come to be close to us in Jesus? John’s answer is clear: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (verse 14). In Jesus, God has come to get really close to us. But that’s not all. For God has come with a gift for us. Jesus, John says, came “full of grace and truth” (verse 14). In other words, when God got really close to us, he didn’t get really close just to condemn us or to criticize us or to wag his faultless finger at us. No, he came really close to us to give us grace out of his love for us. As Athanasius wrote, “For by God becoming a man, the Savior was to accomplish…works of love” (Incarnation of the Word, 18).
What, then, is the upshot of all of this? Simply this: There is no “i” in homoousious. Jesus is not “of like substance with God,” he is of “one substance with God.” And yes, this actually matters. For it means that God got really close in Jesus. And he got really close to you. So let’s put the “i” back where it belongs: “I believe in Jesus Christ…who, being of one substance with the Father, came down from heaven and was made man.”
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 13 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
The other day, I received a phone call from a buddy of mine, asking me some questions about the Scriptural account of creation. After chatting about everything from theistic evolution to Augustine’s interpretation of the creation account to the length of the “days” in Genesis 1, all of which are very heavily and hotly contested, we ended on a much lighter note. “Say hi to your wife for me,” my buddy said. “You say hi to your wife too,” I replied. And that’s how our phone call ended.
My buddy and I have been friends now for over ten years. We went to college together and, as fate would have it, our wives, who attended the same college as we did, even roomed together. Hence, the extended greetings that we pass along to our respective spouses. But now, with both of us living in different towns and with all of the different duties and obligations that naturally come with adult life, we don’t get to see each other very often. Our once close relationship is now a little more distant. So, greetings to and from each other often come second-hand. When our wives talk, just like when we talk, I usually get from Melody an extended greeting from my friend.
As Paul wraps up his letter to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13, we find an extended greeting of sorts that comes through Paul to the Corinthians: “All the saints send their greetings” (verse 13). In a day before phone calls, emails, instant messaging, and Facebook, this is often the best that old friends could hope to receive: a second hand greeting via a traveling missionary. No doubt, many of “all the saints” who are saying hello through the pen of Paul were personally known to the Corinthians at one time or another. But then, just like today, these saints moved to different towns and different places and began different lives. Perhaps because of a job opportunity. Perhaps because of a missionary call. Perhaps even because of persecution. And those once close relationships are now a little more distant.
Interestingly, right before Paul passes along greetings from those who are afar, he encourages the Corinthians to “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (verse 12). The “holy kiss,” of course, was no romantic gesture, but was a long standing Jewish tradition denoting fraternal affection. Indeed, the very word for “kiss” in Greek hints at this: philema, from the word phileo, meaning “brotherly love.” The purpose of this “holy kiss,” therefore, was not to opportunistically create love while standing under some bit of mistletoe, but rather, to demonstrate deep affection and thankfulness for the blessing of having someone near enough that you could actually kiss them. For in that day, as in ours, you never knew when a holy kiss would melt into a much more impersonal, “The saints send their greetings.”
This, then, is a lesson for us. For time and circumstance have a way of separating us from those who are now near enough to kiss. Close friends move away. Kids grow up and leave the house. And yes, even spouses die. And we are left with much more impersonal second hand greetings that come to us through others or through emails or through cards during the holidays. In some instances, we are even left with only our memories. So today, don’t miss out on your opportunity. For today’s opportunity is a holy opportunity! Give a peck on the cheek to those you love. After all, Scripture commands it. And I have every intention of obeying. I think Melody’s in the kitchen right now…
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 12 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
“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.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 11 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I am a man who lives with many irons in the fire. I have all of the tasks which surround ministry at Concordia: preparing and teaching Adult Bible Class, working on other Bible studies, preaching, counseling, organizing, and, of course, writing my blog. I also have all of the tasks which surround my life at home: cooking, cleaning, shopping, paying bills, taking out the trash, and, most importantly, spending time with family. Sometimes, it can become dizzying, difficult, and daunting to juggle everything. That is why I find today’s text from 2 Corinthians 11 to be a comfort and encouragement to me.
The Christian church at Corinth, it seems, had been infiltrated by some “super-apostles” (verse 5) who were calling into question the integrity, veracity, and authenticity of Paul’s ministry. Their accusation was this: “Paul preaches the gospel free of charge. But remember, you only get what you pay for. Thus, Paul’s preaching must be worthless” (see verse 7). Paul counters this accusation by reminding the Corinthians that although his gospel may have come for free to them, it has not come for free from others: “I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you” (verse 8). Paul, then, was not only a preacher of the gospel, he was a fundraiser for the gospel. Yet, not even this was the end of Paul’s duties when it came to financially supporting his preaching. He also worked as a tentmaker to pay the bills (see Acts 18:1-3). Indeed, he was a man who burned the candle at both ends. He was a man who had a packed Outlook calendar. He was a man who lived with many irons in the fire.
The danger of living with many irons in the fire is that, sometimes, multiple obligations can diffuse and dilute critical priorities. A manager has so many projects to complete at work that he cuts short time with his family. A nurse is so busy tending to the health of others that she fails to be cognizant her own. A Christian parent is so busy chauffeuring his kids to various weekend extracurricular activities that time for worship is marginalized. Paul, however, refuses to allow this to happen, even in the midst of his dizzying schedule and pace. Nor will he allow it to happen to those he ministers to: “I am afraid,” Paul cautions, “that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (verse 3). The Greek word for “sincere” is haplotes, meaning “single-mindedness.” In other words, Paul calls upon the Corinthian Christians, and all Christians, to be single-mindedly and unswervingly devoted to Christ, his Word, and his gospel even when we have cramped calendars, constant commitments, and abundances of assignments all clamoring for our consideration. “Irons in the fire” should never douse our fire of faith in Christ and our fire of faithfulness to Christ. This is Paul’s message.
The origin of the idiom, “many irons in the fire,” goes back to the great church father Origen. Interestingly, Origen does not use this phrase to describe a person who has too many things to do and cannot juggle all of his respective tasks; instead, he uses it to describe a person who is clearly and wholly devoted to Christ. Origen writes, “The metal iron is capable of cold and heat. If, then, a mass of iron be kept constantly in the fire, receiving the heat through all its pores and veins…[it would be] incessantly burning…In this way, then, that soul which, like an iron in the fire, has been perpetually placed in the Word…finally, some warmth from the Word of God must be supposed to have passed” (First Principles, II:VI:6) Origen reminds us that when we, as Christians, bask in the glow of God’s Word, our souls are heated like an iron in the fire is heated. In other words, we go from having irons in the fire to being an iron in the fire. So today, don’t just have irons, be an iron! And display a fiery faith in Jesus.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 10 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I saw a headline this past Monday that captured my attention: “More Americans Say They Have No Religion.” The article that I read went on to talk about how more and more Americans are claiming to be areligious. A survey conducted by Trinity College in Hartford, CT found that a full 15% of Americans claim to be areligious, up from 14.2% in 2001, and 8.2% in 1990. What I found especially fascinating about this survey, however, was not just the bare and alarming numbers, it was the fact that this survey tabulated people who were areligious rather than atheistic. In other words, there are some people in this category who are probably indeed rigorously atheistic. They have a thought out, reasoned out disbelief in God. They are intellectually hostile toward him. Others in this category of areligiosity, however, are not necessarily logically or intellectually hostile to God, they simply do not care about him. They do not care to worship him, think about him, give thanks to him, discover him, or love him. For these people, God’s existence is a mere fringe relic on the outskirts of their consciousness. Other things are more important.
Interestingly, these findings parallel those of another survey from April 2007, this one conducted by the Gallup organization, as to why people do not attend church. This study was divided into two sections. One section surveyed the “practical” or “thought-out” reasons why people do not attend church. The number one reason for not attending church in this category was a strong disagreement with organized religious teaching. The other category gave “practical” or “default” reasons why people do not attend church. The number one reason given in this category was, quite mundanely, that people do not have time. In other words, like those who are areligious, those who do not attend church fall into two categories: those who are actively and academically hostile toward the worship of God and those who simply do not care. For this latter group, the worship of God is a mere fringe relic on the outskirts of their consciousness. Other things are more important.
In our reading for today from 2 Corinthians 10, Paul addresses how we, as Christians, should care for those who either intellectually oppose or flippantly dismiss God: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (verses 4-5). Here we find our two categories of those who eschew religious engagement: “arguments” and “pretension.” The Greek word for “arguments” is logismos, meaning “reasoning.” These are those who stand in reasoned, albeit incorrect, opposition to God. The Greek word for “pretension” is hupsoma, meaning “lofty thing.” This word describes those things which we elevate to a more privileged position in our schedules and calendars than God.
Paul says, “We demolish these strongholds.” That sounds harsh. Do we really want the wrecking ball of the gospel flung at our intellectual critiques of God or our important appointments in place of God? Paul’s answer is, “Yes.” But why? “So that we can take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The reason we demolish the strongholds of academic argument and passive pretension is so that those who don’t think about Christ will start thinking about Christ and so that those who don’t care about Christ will start caring about Christ. In other words, Paul reminds us that, by God’s grace and by the strength of his Spirit, a study by Trinity College and a survey by Gallup need not forecast of the foreboding future of Christ-followers in our world. The trend can be reversed! And we are God’s agents of reversal!
Do you know someone who is an atheist or strongly disagrees with “organized religion?” Ask them to tell you more about why they believe what they believe and then compassionately and sensitively share with them your faith. And begin to demolish a stronghold. Do you know someone who does not care about God or never has enough time to go to church? Invite them to church this weekend. And if they refuse due to a scheduling conflict, invite them to accompany you next weekend. And begin to demolish a stronghold. For when the strongholds of this world are demolished by our witness, that is when the message of Christ’s love, Christ’s grace, and Christ’s salvation can take a strong-hold on a human heart. And that’s a stronghold we can all rejoice in.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 9 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
Last weekend in Adult Bible Class, I made passing mention of a form of speech called an “oxymoron.” An oxymoron, of course, is two terms that, though at first sight might seem contradictory, are used in concord with each other. Some oxymorons are serious. Others are more humorous. Jumbo shrimp. Numb sensation. Swiss Navy. Microsoft Works. Hmmm. Although these are of more the humorous and light-hearted variety, in today’s reading from 2 Corinthians 9, we encounter a more profound and thoughtful oxymoron when Paul quotes Psalm 112:9: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever” (verse 9). Paul talks about, as he quotes the Psalmist, a righteous scattering.
In an ancient Jewish context, to talk about a righteous scattering would have appeared to be the height of absurdity. For, to be scattered was a tell-tale sign not of righteousness, but of unrighteousness. In Genesis 11, when the people of earth decide to build a tower which will reach to the heavens and pretentiously usurp the very glory of God, the Lord, in his anger, “scatters them from there over all the earth” (verse 8). In Exodus 32, when the Israelites build a brazen idol in the form of a golden calf, Moses, when he returns from meeting with God only to find this abhorrent pagan trinket, “takes the calf they had made and burns it in the fire; then he grinds it to powder, scatters it on the water and makes the Israelites drink it” (verse 20). And in Jeremiah 13, at the sight of the people’s sinfulness and injustice, God promises, “I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind” (verse 24). And this indeed happens when the Israelites are carried off into exile by Assyria and Babylon. Scattering is not good.
The Greek word used for “scattered” in 2 Corinthians 9 is skorpizo. And in the New Testament, as in the aforementioned verses from the Old, this word continues to take on a very negative connotation. Jesus warns in Matthew 12:30: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” And again in John 10:12: “The wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.” In fact, this word skorpizo is used universally in a negative way except in this one instance: “God has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
So what gives with this oxymoronic use of this universally negative word? God, it seems, recognizes that we are a people who have been scattered by sin. Our calendars are scattered by appointments. Our brains our scattered by worries. Our deepest relationships either have been, or one day will be, scattered by death. Sin scatters our lives. So, if God is going to reach us with his love, if God is going to reach us with his grace, if God is going to reach us with his righteousness, he needs to reach us where we are. And so, he scatters. The prophet Isaiah puts it like this: “You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it” (Isaiah 45:8). Droplets of God’s rain of righteousness, scattered over all the earth to those who need it most. That is the picture that the prophet is painting. And that is what God gives to you and to me.
The promise, then, is that no matter how scattered your calendar, your brain, and your life may be, you are never too scattered to be out of the range God’s righteousness, grace, and blessing. For he has scattered these marvelous gifts over the face of this whole earth. And this means that these gifts can, and these gifts will, find you.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 8 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
“Job Losses Could Worsen Through 2009.” “12.5 Million Are Unemployed in US.” “Senate Moves to Give FDIC $500 Billion Loan.” These are just a few of the headlines I scanned this past Friday which told of our country’s imperiled economic state. As the week wrapped up, the Dow Jones closed at 6,626.94. That’s down over 50% from the Dow’s record high of 14.087.55 on October 1, 2007. Is anybody worried yet? Actually, is anybody not worried yet?
In this kind of economic climate, Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 8 probably strike many of us as offensively jarring and hopelessly irrelevant and impractical: “But just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in the grace of giving” (verse 7). Now, before you stop reading because you think I’m going to lecture you on the glories of tithing and try to guilt you into giving more money to the church even as we’re being asphyxiated by the confines of an impossibly volatile economy, let me assure you, that’s not what this blog is about. Actually, this blog is more about “excelling.” Paul says that we, as Christians, “excel in everything.” Really? I’m not sure much of anything has its foot on the accelerator right now. The stock market is down. Home values are down. Available credit lines are down. Job postings are down. Profits are down. And quite frankly, people are down too. There are a lot of people who feel down and out these days. In fact, the only story I’ve heard lately of something excelling comes out of the Dollar Store. Apparently, rocky financial times are good for the discount chain’s business.
During these down times, what is it that we can possibly excel at? Paul gives us a list. When our country’s stock market is down, we have an opportunity to excel in our faith as we trust that Christ will provide for our daily needs. When pecuniary pundits are talking down our economy, we have a chance to excel in encouraging speech as we hold out the hope of the gospel. When we feel down as we watch our economy collapse in real time on CNBC, we have an opportunity to excel in our knowledge of Scripture as we read God’s Word and trust in his promises to get us through. As people’s morale goes down at the specter of more layoffs and massive job cuts, we can excel in earnestness as we continue to work at the jobs we have or search for the one we need. As people’s support systems go down in the face of stress and bad news, we can excel in our love for those who are hurting deeply. And finally, as people’s bank accounts go down – and that includes our bank accounts possibly – we can excel in the grace of giving.
It’s that final call to excel that gets us, isn’t it? Excel in giving? How can we when we have nothing to give? First, it is worth noting that our giving need not be exclusively monetary. We can give of our time, talents, and energies, all for the sake of others. In a sense, all of the things which Paul calls us to excel at – faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness, and love – fall under the “grace of giving” because they can all be given away to others. Second, whatever you give, remember that excel-lence in giving, or in anything else, is never done under duress. In other words, you can’t force excellence. It must be willingly engaged. Paul knows this full well. That’s why, right after Paul encourages the Corinthians to excel, he says, “I am not commanding you” (verse 8). Paul knows that excellence can never be forced. That is why excellence in giving is called a “grace.”
Speaking of grace, Paul wraps up his discussion on graceful excellence by reminding us of the one who is most gracefully excellent of all: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes become poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (verse 9). Paul says that Jesus excelled in poverty so that we could excel in richness where being rich really counts: richness in forgiveness, richness in life, and richness in salvation. And in a down economy, these may be the only riches we have. Then again, in any economy, these are the only riches we finally need. For those are the only riches that finally last. So let’s excel in those.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 7 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
When Melody and I first moved to San Antonio, we decided to enlist an apartment finder to assist us in locating a new place. When we came up one Saturday to look at some potential apartments with this apartment finder, the folks who assisted were fabulous. Our representative was warm, thorough in her residency resources, and graciously willing to go above and beyond what was required of her to assist us.
Needless to say, we were thrilled with the service we received. We thanked her profusely and when, a couple of weeks later, we found out that a friend of ours from out of town was moving to San Antonio as well and also looking for an apartment, we boisterously boasted about our apartment finder and heartily recommended them. Our friend’s experience with this company, however, was not quite as remarkable as ours. When we asked our friend how her apartment hunting went, she reported back, “Well, they seemed to be in a bit of a hurry and they weren’t all that interested in assisting me. They were polite enough, they just didn’t help me find what I was looking for.” In other words, in her charitable way, our friend was telling us that she did not have a good experience with the company that we had just so recently glowingly recommended.
Perhaps this has happened to you too. You sing the praises of a company, a friend, a service, or a location, only to have a friend “try it out” on your recommendation and encounter a very different experience from yours.
In our text for today from 2 Corinthians 6, Paul makes a recommendation of sorts to a fellow pastor named Titus. He recommends that Titus check out the Church at Corinth and boasts magnanimously about their ministry. Thankfully, unlike our apartment finders, the Corinthians live up to their reputation, which Paul thanks them for in verses 13-14: “We were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me.”
This is a slightly curious way to end a compliment to the Corinthians: “I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me.” If Paul is so sure that the Corinthians are boast-worthy, why would he be worried about them embarrassing him and not living up to his glowing commendation? The answer comes in what Paul has to address and confront in his first letter to the Corinthians: sharp divisions (3:1-4), sexual immorality (5:1-5), a litigious culture (6:1-8), drunkenness at the Lord’s Supper (11:21), a misuse of spiritual gifts (14:26-33), and damnable false doctrine (15:12-19). Such a squalid congregational resume is certainly nothing to boast about. But even with such a sordid history, Paul still boasts in them. Why?
In Hebrew, the word for “boast” is hallel. Interestingly, this word is often used synonymously with the word batach, the Hebrew word for “trust.” The implication is clear: to “boast” in someone also means to “trust” in them. Trust that they won’t disappoint you. Trust that they’ll live up to your good word about them. You see, Paul’s boast to Titus concerning the Corinthians isn’t based on an impressive resume, it’s based on Paul’s trust in them. Paul, by his boasting, is implicitly trusting the Corinthians be who he says they are to be.
Much like Paul boasts in the Corinthians, we have a God who boasts in us. “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). “We can do everything through Christ who gives us strength” (Philippians 4:13). We are “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved” (Colossians 3:12). These are some pretty impressive boasts! But notice how each boast is rooted not in us, but in Christ. We are conquerors through Christ. We can do everything through Christ. We are loved through Christ. It is Christ who makes us boast-worthy. And now, in his boasting, Christ is trusting us to be who he has made us to be. And so, the question is: Will you be boast-worthy for Christ today?
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 6 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
One of my earliest memories of family tragedy came on a beautiful fall afternoon when my mother received a phone call: “Come quickly!” the voice on the other end of the line said. “It’s terrible! I need your help right away!” Unfortunately, this mystery voice on the other end of the line failed to identify herself. And without caller ID (this was, after all, the 80’s), the tone of this mystery voice was so frantic, that my mother failed to recognize it as her own mother’s. So, you can imagine my mother’s shock and guilt when, a couple of minutes later, this voice called back and said, “Didn’t you get my message? Hurry up and get over here! Your father’s had a heart attack!”
I didn’t really know what a heart attack was before that day, but that evening, as the family sat around my grandfather’s hospital bed, I learned more than I ever wanted to about the medical mechanics of a trauma that kills over half a million Americans each year. Heart attacks are most often the result, I learned, of coronary artery disease. Inside your arteries, fatty plaque can build up which eventually ruptures, causing a blood clot which mostly, or even completely, blocks the flow of blood to your heart. When this happens, a heart attack ensues. The primary cause of a heart attack, then, is a narrow, or even blocked, passageway to your heart.
In today’s reading from 2 Corinthians 6, we read how the same thing that can happen physically with a heart attack can also happen relationally in our dealings with others. Paul writes to his Corinthian congregants: “We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us” (verses 11-12). The Greek word for “withholding” in these verses is stenochoreo and literally refers to a road that is narrow, or even blocked. In other words, the Corinthians are on their way to relational heart attack of sorts. For they are blocking the way of those who would seek to minister to the Corinthians’ hearts.
Have you ever acted like the Corinthians? Do you ever engage in habits with your heart that can place you on the path to a relational or spiritual heart attack? Do you lie about your sinfulness? Do you consistently and comprehensively refuse the help of others during your darkest hours of need? Do you close yourself off to God in anger or disgust because of some trouble you are facing? If so, remember that you can only restrict your heart for so long. Eventually, a heart attack will come.
Mercifully, my grandfather did not die that day over two decades ago. He came through fine. However, some are not so fortunate, whether it be physically, relationally, or spiritually, when they live with narrow hearts. So what is the remedy to such narrow heartedness? Paul gives us the answer in the next verse: “Open wide your hearts” (verse 13). Engage in honesty about your sin. Accept help from others. Turn to God in your times of despair. Open wide your hearts. After all, Christ has opened his heart to you. As Paul writes in Ephesians 3:17-18: “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Christ has a heart that is wide and long and high and deep for you. Now we, as his followers, are to mirror that heart. We, as his followers, are to reflect his heart. And so I pray that you will live with a wide and long and high and deep heart toward Christ…and toward others. Today…and every day.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 5 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
2 Corinthians 5 contains what is my “favorite” Bible verse. I hesitate somewhat to designate any verse as my “favorite” because, I suppose, from a more thoughtful perspective, all verses should be my “favorite” since “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). In other words, all Scripture is God’s favorite so it should be my favorite as well. Nevertheless, I still use the word “favorite,” even if I use it reticently, to describe 2 Corinthians 5:15: “And Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
How this verse got to be my “favorite” is an interesting, though not necessarily inspiring, story. I was in third grade, and my teacher had given us each a rock. “Because,” my teacher began her instructions, “Scripture is the ‘rock’ on which we are to build our lives, I want you to write your favorite Bible verse on this rock and take it home with you.” Immediately my friends began scribbling down their favorite verses on their rocks. John 3:16. John 3:16. John 3:16. John 3:16. “John 3:16?!” I thought to myself. “That isn’t very creative!” And so, I opened my Bible and began spastically flipping through its pages to find a more “creative” Bible verse than John 3:16. And what can I say? My Bible opened to 2 Corinthians 5:15. Such is the story of how I gained my “favorite” Bible verse.
Although my story of how I found 2 Corinthians 5:15 isn’t exactly inspiring, at the very least, this verse’s designation as my “favorite” has remained consistent. It has been my favorite verse since that day in third grade. Some people, wishing to avoid the baggage that the word “favorite” carries with it, instead have what they call a “life verse.” This terminology, however, doesn’t sit well with me either. After all, I am called in this verse to “no longer live for myself” and I’m not sure I really live up to that admonition. As ashamed as I am to admit it, more often than not, this “life verse” has not led, shaped, and formed my life in the way it should. Nevertheless, in spite of all this, this verse still holds a special place in my heart. Here’s why.
“And Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Christ died for me so that I could live for him. That is Paul’s message in a nutshell. But how do I live for Christ? That answer comes in the next verse: “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view” (verse 16). Living for Christ, Paul says, involves regarding others not as the world regards them, but as Christ regards them. For the world regularly regards others as mere stair steps toward power, or as sheer objects to be exploited, or as simple crutches for support in our darker hours. One of my favorite descriptions of regarding others from a worldly point of view comes from the atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell who describes human existence thusly: “In the visible world, the Milky Way is a tiny fragment; within this fragment, the solar system is an infinitesimal speck, and of this speck our planet is a microscopic dot. On this dot, tiny lumps of impure carbon and water, of complicated structure, with somewhat unusual physical and chemical properties, crawl about for a few years, until they are dissolved again into the elements of which they are compounded.” Tiny lumps of impure carbon and water whose only destiny is to be dissolved. Most definitely a “worldly point of view” of humanity.
But this is not Christ’s point of view. For Christ’s point of view is a view of love. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,” John writes, “that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are” (1 John 3:1)! That is how God regards us. As his children. There has never been a person on whom you have laid eyes on who Jesus does not love and has not died for. “And he died for all…” So today, regard those you meet, greet, and serve not from a worldly point of view, but from a godly point of view. Regard others with love of a father. Regard others with the love of your Father.
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