6 June 2005

1 Corinthians chapter 3 is still on the table.

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God... So let no one boast about human leaders. for all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future - all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. (1 Cor. 3:18-19, 21-23)

Begin with the understanding that the "you" in "you are God's temple" is the "you" as in "all y'all". It is a community term. The temple is no longer that geographic place in Jerusalem...it is no longer a building restored and rebuilt several time and now for some a place that needs to be rebuilt again. Rather, the temple is the people. The holy site...the dwelling place of God...the manifestation of grace and glory here in the midst of ordinary people is...the ordinary people...who come together on this gracious foundation that is Christ, Jesus. This is a wonderful way to remind each of us that no one can claim to be the source of all wisdom. In fact, that is quite a contrary notion within the Reign of God in Christ. From the community, the temple, each stone is considered an important part of the making of the whole. The community of Christ counts on each of us to bring our gifts to play into the building of the life of promise that is always pulling us into God's future. By using the various names of leaders in Corinth, we find that Paul is pressing the Corinthians - and us - to consider the wealth of wisdom that is the whole body. No one person is given credit for the life we have together. Rather it is Christ, who is our body, our wisdom, and the life into which we can walk together.

Connection: Share you gifts and expect that others have them also. Knowing that, there is much that will be brought to the life of the community. That in itself is a miracle - that we would honor the wealth of gifts that come from the many of us who are now called one body.

Builder of the People of God, we give you thanks for the opportunity we are given to see how gracious you are as we look around and are witnesses to the way your gifts are scattered among us so that we might be drawn to one another rather than separate from one another. Continue to help us see the worth of those other than ourselves. Amen.