28 June 2005

Adding to yesterday's discussion of 1 Corinthians 6.

" All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food," and God will destroy both one and the other. (1 Cor. 6:12-13a) The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her?... But anyone who united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. (1 Cor. 6:13b-17)

We have a higher calling than to be consumed by or be consumers of anything. We are the followers of Jesus and when we call Jesus "Lord" we are setting ourselves up to be a people whose spirit of life is set within the way of Jesus. Now...how do we deal with this passage. Well, we could consider it to be simply about "fornication." That is...about sex...abusive, inappropriate, and...all-consuming sexual activity. Though that fits the context of this letter, the message of the Good News is made so much less if that is how we talk about the Reign of God in Christ,Jesus, in contrast to the perversion of the world. We are not to "unite" ourselves with any power or force or part of creation to the point that we lose control of the gracious life of the followers of Jesus in community. We are not to become like those who are consumed by consuming. Our appetite is not to be for that which will gratify us at the expense of others and the disrespect of our own lives. Our appetite is for a banquet of solidarity and peace and holiness that is rich with respect, honor, grace, and love for one another. We are not a people who run away from the powers of prostitution, we live a life of graciousness that none of the prostitutes of our day can master. That becomes the blessed community of transformation through which the powers of the day are confronted and their priorities exposed.

Connection: Dream of the hopeful Reign of God. Do not simply let it be a dream...let it be a part of our holy imagination that seeps into all of our days and in every part of our life together. When the powers of the world want us to "sleep with them" it takes much courage and prayerfulness and peace to resist their ways.

Lord of Liberation and New Life, how majestic is your loving presence that attracts us and keeps us firmly held within your ways. Remind us of the power of your Reign as all the powers of this world continue to try and drain us of your vision for new life. Amen.