{"id":82,"date":"2018-10-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/01\/3rd-sunday-after-epiphany-year-a\/"},"modified":"2018-10-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-10-01T00:00:00","slug":"3rd-sunday-after-epiphany-year-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/01\/3rd-sunday-after-epiphany-year-a\/","title":{"rendered":"3rd Sunday After Epiphany Year A"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"paragraph\">\n<span>The Word This Week:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"color:rgb(0, 0, 0)\">\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=15#hebrew_reading\">Isaiah 9:1-4<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=15#psalm_reading\">Psalm 27:1, 4-9<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=15#epistle_reading\">1 Corinthians 1:10-18<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=15#gospel_reading\">Matthew 4:12-23<\/a>\u200b\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wsite-content-title\">Watch:<\/h2>\n<div>\n<div id=\"554423784668823705\" align=\"left\" style=\"width: 100%; overflow-y: hidden;\" class=\"wcustomhtml\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwwanglican%2Fvideos%2F1582439435119568%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=270\" width=\"270\" height=\"500\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wsite-content-title\">Read:<\/h2>\n<div class=\"paragraph\">\n<span><span style=\"color:black\">Well good morning again everyone.\u00a0 Today we are going to be continuing our focus on Paul\u2019s first letter to the church in Corinth.\u00a0 Today we are focussing on verses of 10 \u2013 18 of chapter 1.\u00a0 Before we begin looking too closely at these verses though I think it is important that we recap what we learnt in last weeks exploration of verses 1 to 9.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">The context for the writing of this letter is that it was written to the church in Corinth in around the year 54AD while Paul was in Ephesus on his third missionary journey.\u00a0 Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaea.\u00a0 You will remember that the letter was written to this church because Paul had received reports that the church in Corinth was suffering under factionalism and placing great emphasis on the gifts certain members had over others. Others claimed superior knowledge and wisdom. While others were living immoral lives while still claiming membership of the church.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">You will remember that those first 9 verses which we read last week involved Paul setting out who the Corinthians were in the eyes of God, and emphasising that though their knowledge and gifts are wonderful things they are all from God.\u00a0\u00a0 They enable us to see that we are called into a whole body of believers, that we are set apart \u2013 sanctified by God, that the spiritual gifts we have are from God, that our knowledge and abilities in the faith are from God.\u00a0 Those first 9 verses point us to the great truth that it is God at work in us that is what redeems us \u2013 that it is God\u2019s grace \u2013 his unmerited, or unearned favour towards us that is what saves us.\u00a0 Above all it shows us that though we are fickle, that we often get caught in our own desires, or think we are the ones doing great things that it is in fact God and his faithfulness that enables us to do all things.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">Now having set the scene for his letter to the Corinthian Church by letting them know that it is God who is at work in them, and their salvation, their knowledge and their gifts are all from God, that they are all one body \u2013 Paul moves into his first discussion of one of the issues that lead him to write his letter \u2013 factionalism and division.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">For Paul this is a big deal \u2013 he has heard as we read in verses 11 and 12 that there is division and quarrelling among the people who claim to follow Jesus in Corinth.\u00a0 Some are claiming allegiance to Paul, others to Apollos, some to Cephas \u2013 while others simply claim Christ.\u00a0 Paul at the outset says this is not the way the church is supposed to operate &#8211; in verse 10 he says &#8211; <strong>I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<font color=\"#000000\"><br \/><\/font> <span><span style=\"color:black\">Now what can Paul mean when he says that we as the church should all be of one mind? Is he saying that we should all give up our own ability to discern right from wrong and just blindly follow the leader? Should we all just say well Fr Knows best and stop asking questions? Well as tempting as it is for me to tell you that, because it would certainly make my life easier \u2013 that isn\u2019t what Paul means.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">What Paul is calling the Corinthian Church (and us) to is not some kind of blind conformity \u2013 rather he is saying that instead of bickering and fighting over the peripheral stuff \u2013 the Corinthians were getting caught up into factions over who evangelised them and brought them to know the Gospel!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">Paul says this stuff is irrelevant \u2013 what we know is we agree on all of the core things \u2013 we know that we are saved by what Christ has done \u2013 it is the Gospel \u2013 the Good News of Jesus Christ that saves us \u2013 and that is where we find our community \u2013 that is where we find our agreement and our unity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">Now I want to be clear here \u2013 Paul isn\u2019t saying that people can do or believe anything they want. \u00a0There are in fact issues around faith and issues around morals that are so significant that they demand the church to break fellowship with people who cross those lines.\u00a0 In fact later in this letter in chapter 5 Paul demands that the church break fellowship with those who claim they are believers while at the same time living sexually immoral lives \u2013 we are still meant to stand against immorality and wrong doing &#8211; \u00a0So what are we to understand about what unity means from Paul?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">Well we get an idea of what he is talking about when we look at verse 13 \u2013 he says: <strong>Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<font color=\"#000000\"><br \/><\/font> <span><span style=\"color:black\">That first question is the key one \u2013 has Christ been divided? You see what Paul is saying to the church at Corinth (and to us!) is that what we do as the church actually reflects on Christ.\u00a0 When we as members of the church are rude, people outside the church don\u2019t think \u2013 oh that was a rude person, they instead think \u2013 pfft Christian, if that\u2019s what following Jesus looks like I want nothing to do with it. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">Likewise when the Church in Corinth was fighting amongst themselves, outsiders looking in would no doubt have been thinking \u2013 why would I want to be a part of that?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">Paul is wanting us to understand that what we do and how we behave matters. Yes we are saved by the Grace of God \u2013 as was reinforced in the opening to the letter \u2013 it is God\u2019s work that saves us.\u00a0 However that doesn\u2019t mean that we can do whatever we want.\u00a0 We as the church are the Body of Christ \u2013 that means that we are supposed to be his representatives on earth \u2013 the church is <em>supposed<\/em> to show people a foretaste of the kingdom of God \u2013 The church is <em>supposed<\/em> to be pointing to Jesus in all we do.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">The key message here is that it is the Gospel \u2013 the Good News \u2013 of Jesus Christ that matters, and we as the Church \u2013 who have already received this message have an incredibly important role\u00a0 &#8211; we are now the ambassadors of Christ \u2013 that is what the word apostle means by the way \u2013 ambassador, or representative \u2013 so we are called to be modern apostles.\u00a0 Now of course we aren\u2019t Apostles like Paul and the 12 \u2013 the term for them was both a position of authority given by Christ and the description of the role. For us though apostleship \u2013 or representing Christ is \u2013 or should be a part of our everyday lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">That can be a confronting thing for us \u2013 how can we be representatives of Christ? We are just regular people, most of us aren\u2019t called to baptise new believers, most of us don\u2019t have the gift of the gab so that we can be great apologists and defenders of the faith.\u00a0 The truth is though all of us have the ability to be evangelists.\u00a0 Now I am not saying that everyone has the spiritual gift of evangelism and should immediately head out to the street corner with a soap box, or start knocking on doors.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">However the truth is that each and every one of us who has accepted the free gift of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus has the ability to witness to the saving grace of God.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have to be like Paul and travel the world sharing the good news with everyone we meet.\u00a0 It can be as simple as telling people that we go to church, maybe inviting them to come next week.\u00a0 When Paul says that he didn\u2019t come to baptise the Corinthians but to spread the Gospel he is saying that it is through the Gospel message \u2013 through learning and accepting what Jesus has done that we are reconciled to God.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t the rituals, it isn\u2019t about belonging to the right group or faction \u2013 it is about accepting what God has already done for us \u2013 and that means we should be open to sharing it with people so that others can come to know the incredible grace we know.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">Many of us feel inadequately prepared to share the Gospel with people, we shy away from it because we feel embarrassed, or we think we might not be saying it right or using the right words\u2026 However Paul says to us here in this letter that when he went and planted that church in Corinth, he didn\u2019t preach with \u201celoquent wisdom\u201d so that the Cross of Christ wouldn\u2019t be emptied of its power \u2013 in other words he went and he sat down with people and he chatted with them just like we do.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t try and use any fancy words, or try to make the Gospel fit into the world by changing it to suit what everyone else thinks is right.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">The point I am trying to make \u2013 and which I think Paul is trying to convey here is that it is the cross that saves us.\u00a0 It is at the cross that the sins of the world have been paid for \u2013 Jesus has paid the price \u2013 he died for us on the cross, because sin has a consequence \u2013 and he rose again three days later setting us free from death.\u00a0 We don\u2019t need fancy words or great wisdom \u2013 we just need to be willing to say it is it is. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">Brothers and sisters, we are the body of Christ on earth \u2013 that means that we are called to live lives of love, of care and compassion. It means we are called to reject immorality and that we are called to share the great truth of God\u2019s saving grace with those around us.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">We are called to do these things, not because we are trying to save ourselves \u2013 but because as we keep learning \u2013 God has already done the work to save us.\u00a0 We don\u2019t need to be wise or great speakers, we don\u2019t need to try and be people who we are not, or turn into a homogenous body of blind followers.\u00a0 Paul tells us that Christ simply calls us to be people of genuine faith and humility, who are willing to work together in love and honesty, while also calling out immorality and wrongdoing when we see it. Finally, we like Paul, \u00a0are called to share the Gospel, simply and honestly without embellishment and without compromise.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">If we can simply be people of genuine love, compassion and honesty working together in unity of faith, putting aside the unimportant stuff and focussing on the Gospel &#8211; \u00a0people will see what we have, and it will be our lives, our friendships and support for one another that become our greatest way of showing people what Jesus teaches and what he has done for us. If we can genuinely be the \u201cbody of Christ\u201d \u2013 that foretaste of the Kingdom \u2013 then people will be asking us to have what we have\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">and there is no better evangelism tool than that.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span style=\"color:black\">The Lord be with you.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color:black\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Word This Week: Isaiah 9:1-4\u00a0\u00a0 Psalm 27:1, 4-9\u00a0\u00a0 1 Corinthians 1:10-18\u00a0\u00a0 Matthew 4:12-23\u200b Watch: Read: Well good morning again everyone.\u00a0 Today we are going to be continuing our focus on Paul\u2019s first letter to the church in Corinth.\u00a0 Today we are focussing on verses of 10 \u2013 18 of chapter 1.\u00a0 Before we begin &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/01\/3rd-sunday-after-epiphany-year-a\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;3rd Sunday After Epiphany Year A&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}