10 May 2005

Just as we continue to be shaped by the Spirit of God, the Corinthian church was being shaped by a vision of God's Reign that is beyond our rule.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind - just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you - so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor.1:4-9)

Paul gives thanks for what has been given to the people. These are gifted people - just as we are. They have been given a word about the very center of God's love for us - just as we have. Not only this. We are given this gift so that the grace of God - revealed in Jesus - will become a revealing event among us. Paul gives thanks for he knows how the grace of God is, by its very definition, a gift that will never settle for any other word about God -- for there is no other word but the one that opens up its arms to reveal a love the world cannot produce nor does it really want to. Giving thanks for the Corinthians is a sign of hope. Like the closing of any generation, it is a blessed event to see that this love of God that knows no bounds continues to wrap itself around the people who are just now stepping out to live within the boundlessness of God's grace.

Connection: The powers of this world and the situations we encounter can be overwhelming to us. Fear and anxiety and the many forms these are manifest in the most simply and basic aspects of our day can easily dominate our every move. I hate being anxious...and yet I know that is all I will be if I do not have others who will, like Paul, keep my eyes fixed on this essential foundation for life that really does give us a life other than our anxious pursuits.

O God who walks with us when we are not sure of our next step, we need your hand to be a reminder of the peace you bring and the life you create so that we will not run away from your gracious Reign. Amen.