Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Speaking in tongues is a bit of a contentious point in many Christian circles, and entire denominations have been sparked from their opinion on the issue. Paul did this, so it is certainly a Biblical action. Paul speaks pretty clearly on the issue, though: if you’re going to speak in tongues, it should be to build up the body. Where we’ve been in the letter to the Corinthians supports this. Don’t...

In this well-known verse, Paul brings it home. Why has he taught not to create divisions? What brings us closer to the Spirit of God, that unleashes the gifts of the Spirit? It is always love. It is what God shows us purely, and if we are following Jesus, it must become the biggest part of our new nature.

Paul has reminded the young church at Corinth of how to treat one another, now he tells them why: you are all equally one in the Spirit. The order was important, because we aren’t ready to find our identity in Christ until we release our own ideas. Once we come close to him, find our true identity, and start following, the gifts of the Spirit follow. Those gifts are meant to build up the body of C...

“No doubt there have been differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.” This is probably the bridging verse in this section of Paul’s letter. He is not complimenting the Corinthians, as he says multiple times. He is pointing out the harm they are doing to their own body. Separating into multiple meals separates the rich from the poor, leaving the poor behind. Separating the mode...

In the pantheon of gods found in the Roman world, it would have been easy for followers of Jesus to look like another fad. Eating food sacrificed to false gods would have been commonplace, especially among the poor. Paul wanted the young Church to distinguish itself. Not only was their conduct to be different, but their spiritual practice wasn’t to be just another option in a buffet of spiritual o...

Paul seems to be defending himself in this section of his letter. Apparently, there were some drawing divisions between him and the apostles who had actually walked with Jesus, possibly even saying that he was somehow lesser. His response is direct: I am an apostle because I have produced the fruit of an apostle, and you are that fruit. Perhaps because of this strong stance, he also backs off a bi...

Paul has spent a few chapters on accountability within the church, now he looks outward. Just as the sexual ethic of the Corinthians should reflect their respect for people created in the image of God, so should daily practice reflect the Church teaching new believers how to live be exemplifying it. Certainly, in that situation, there was no room for “do as I say, not what I do.” Paul wanted them...

There is a LOT going on in this passage, and Paul almost seems to crisscross himself. Sometimes he seems to be a hardcore defender of marriage, other times he seems to hate it. Several things are key in this passage. One, the first sentence: “the matters you wrote about.” This is only half the conversation, Paul is answering their questions. We’re only getting one side of this conversation, so we...

Is it possible to live the way that Paul is describing? Just before this, he was talking about calling one another to account. Now he is describing a situation where we conduct legal matters between believers within the church itself. Does that happen anywhere? It's a radical picture of how we should be bound together, so maybe it's worth a try.

Paul is introducing some tough stuff here: accountability. The body of Christ isn’t just a place to be accepted no matter what you do. What we do matters, both to one another and to God. He is describing cutting off an immoral church member, not an outsider. When we become part of Christ, it means we submit not only to Him, but to one another. Only by the Spirit’s guidance can we do this wisely.

Paul is doing the last of his work to tear down the Corinthians’ focus on earthly heroes (such as himself) by portraying himself and Apollos as servants, even those in the place of slaves. If his previous argument didn’t work, this one should drive it home. Just as Jesus said, “the first shall be last, and the last shall be first,” Paul is giving that picture full color.

Paul probably isn’t out to insult his audience by calling them babies. Well… maybe a little. But he is trying to dislodge them from their obsession with hero worship. Since he is one of the heroes, he means to remove even himself from that tangle, and point them back to Christ. Truly, this could only come from a person who had already been transformed themselves.

Paul isn’t advocating stupidity in this verse. What he is saying, and this means a lot coming from someone as greatly educated as he, was that knowledge of the Spirit is given by the Spirit. In a community of Romans and Greeks, this must have rankled a few. Greeks especially valued their education. While education can teach us about God, only the Spirit can allow us to know God. Waiting for God to...

As Paul opens his letter to the Corinthians, he isn't telling them that they can't think for themselves. That kind of message would have fallen flat with a Greek and Roman audience, which Corinth was. By trying to encourage them to be in agreement, he was encouraging unity in the essentials, which is where their struggle lay. They are faithful, but they are tied up in the superstars of the day. Pa...

Is Paul being too rough on people who "don't work"? This is certainly not a condition of salvation. We belong to Christ, even if we are lazy. This is why Paul, at the end, says these folks should still be treated as fellow believers. But if we are part of the body of Christ, we must be functioning parts. If we aren't contributing our gifts, then the place God has given us to serve will not be fill...

As Paul continues talking to those whom he has already commended for their faithfulness, he goes a bit deeper. There are some pretty weight spiritual matters in this section, including resurrection, the Antichrist, and false prophets. Paul wants the Thessalonians to know that they have not missed the resurrection, that the Antichrist is yet to come, and they must be careful not to follow false pro...

Paul writes once again to the Thessalonians, and it seems that they have been attentive to what he asked in the first letter. He is complimenting the things he was encouraging them to do. It’s interesting that they don’t seem to be done with their diligence. Paul prays that God may make them “worthy of his calling,” and only God can do that. No amount of good works can put us in a place where we a...

Looking outward, building the Kingdom of Christ, is important. That’s not what Paul is emphasizing as he ends the letter to the Thessalonians, however. He’s reminding them that they owe a debt of love to one another within the body of Christ, because of the sacrifice of Christ for all of us. When a community is dedicated to loving one another well, they will become a community that others want to...

Christ truly is our hope. This goes beyond life; he also holds the doorway to eternal life. This is a great comfort, and must have been present with those in the early Church when they suffered persecution and martyrdom. If Christ holds us secure, none can take us away from him.

The two loves that Paul contrasts in this passage could not be more different. One is a passionate, bodily lust, the other is a love which grows in the Spirit of Christ to make us more like Jesus. One objectifies people for their bodies, the other sees the image of God in the other. It is a great challenge to learn to love the way Jesus loves, which is why it is necessary for us to continue encour...

Paul is very pastoral in this section, expressing deep affection for the church at Thessalonica. They have obviously been in his thoughts, and he has put resources into staying in touch with them despite setbacks. He has been talking about life in community together, but this is her personal touch. It’s also a pretty good glimpse into the depth of love we should have for one another.

Paul paints a great picture of what the Church should look like. Accepting God’s word as that of God, not of people. Sharing lives together. Leaving wrath and judgement to God and turning our focus to becoming imitators of other believers and our Savior. It’s almost Utopian, but it’s not impossible. The same Spirit that bound them together in love is still ours today.

The Old and New Testament readings today are really interesting to hold next to one another. On one hand, you have Jeremiah, preaching a pretty dismal message at the temple gates to people who have abandoned the very God they claim to go there to worship. Then you have the letter to the Thessalonians, whom Paul, Silas, and Timothy (their names at the beginning mean that it was from them, not to th...

Paul finishes his letter to the Galatians by reminding them of a few more practical issues. What matters is Christ, and it is Christ in whom we live. This changes things. No longer are we to follow the path set by the world around us, but we are to see a better path. Christ is coming to restore all things, and we can get a head start by living in the way he exemplified.

Instead of just the story of the visit of the Magi today, we have a verse from John to remind us what Jesus' coming means. It's more than just God showing up to walk around. It's the opening of the door to a new king of Kingdom where the Spirit is plentiful and available to all. Jesus made amazing wine from water, which probably made him pretty popular at the party. Of course, he did more than tha...