For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. – 1 Corinthians 11:29

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 10, 2014): 1 Corinthians 11

The roots of some or the social strife of our culture lies in events of the past that we just can’t seem to leave behind. The roots of the problem in Ferguson, Missouri may be much older than a conflict between a white police officer and an unarmed black boy. The roots of the conflict lie in communities where black people have been excluded and a culture that was built around a necessary separation of the races. Closer to my home, the roots of tensions between the Native American populations and the other ethnic cultures (Canada prides itself on being a Mosaic rather than a melting pot, a place where diverse cultures are welcomed, although admittedly we often seem to forget that this is what we value) lies in decisions to move Native American children into Residential Schools – schools where Native American children would learn to live more like the white populations. I have American friends that really don’t understand segregation, and I have never understood the residential systems, but our culture is marked by these unsavory events that lie barely under the surface of our not quite forgotten past.

The connection between both of our histories is that, for at least a period in our pasts, we lost sight of the fact that we are the same. The difference in the color of our skins and our ethnic cultures mean less than nothing – and while I admit that I don’t know for sure, I suspect that this is a history that we all share. But the real truth is this - in Christ there can be no difference, but our cultures have simply not recognized the truth.

This was the core of Paul’s message; the color of our skin, the amount of money in your bank account, your freedom (or lack of it) that is a constant feature in your life, absolutely none of these things mean anything. It was something that the Corinthian Church had forgotten. It seems that the division within the Corinthian Church had developed on several levels. Some of the divisions were based on belief systems, on the difference between the supposed teaching variances between many of the early Church teachers. But some of the division was based on much more fundamental foundations. Divisions that existed between the rich and poor – and among the slave and the free. And these differences showed up in the practice of the Lord’s Supper. In the practice of the ritual, the rich were taking the best, and leaving the leftovers (or sometimes nothing) for the poor and the slaves who often had to work later. And Paul had identified the problem, the Corinthians Church had not recognized the Body of the Christ.

We have often missed understood this verse. Paul is not saying that the Corinthian’s do not know the risen Jesus. But they have missed the fact that Jesus lives in midst of their community – that the Body of Jesus was found in the other. And unless they were willing to see Jesus in each other, they would never really be able to celebrate the Lord’s Supper the way it was meant to be celebrated.

And neither can we until we can get to the point where we finally deal with the root of what divides us. Jesus is found in the middle of our diverse communities – and he can be seen even in those within our communities who are least like us. And this is the Christ that God is waiting for us to recognize.

 Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 12

And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. – 1 Corinthians 10:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 9, 2014): 1 Corinthians 10

Meshachith the Destroyer is often considered to be simply another name for the arch angel Samael. In Jewish folklore, Meshachith (or Samael) is a member of the heavenly host, and clearly on side with God, but the angel’s main purpose tends to be a negative one. Whenever there is a rebellion against God, the resultant destruction falls on Meshachith the destroyer. He is the one who brings destruction on the earth and his actions are often seen as being the vengeance of God or form on high. Because of this, Samael is often better known as “The Angel of Death.”

I am convinced that the contemporary church has been given in overabundance of the spiritual gift of criticism. And I am not sure that that is a good thing. A number of years ago I sat on the executive of a board that was in charge of overseeing youth development in the region, and at one point we were in the process of making a hire. I was of the opinion that there were so many ways that we could use the money better than by hiring a person for a position that I  really believed could be better handled by sharing the duties among several volunteers, and I stated my opinion fairly clearly. I am still haunted by the response. One of my fellow board members smiled and said that that was what he liked about me, I disagreed with the board over most decisions. I honestly felt that he meant it as a compliment – I had consistently offered other options that should be considered before we commit to any specific path. But the comment made me re-evaluate my own behavior. While I wanted to scream “if you would put a half decent proposal on the table I wouldn’t have to oppose it,” instead I began to take a long hard look at myself and openly wondered if this spiritual gift of criticism had not begun to spread deep roots in the core of me. And I began to make some changes – changes which I continue to work on even today.

But in our culture it is so easy to complain. There is no decision that is ever made publically that is not criticized. In some circles a unanimous decision is not even hoped for – in fact, often an 80% favorable vote, or four out of every five in favor, is seen as a unanimous vote, and we are told that we should not expect anything higher. Committees that have traditionally demanded a two-thirds majority in order to carry out certain actions are finding that even two-thirds is too often unattainable. More and more of us simply seem to want to stand around and complain. A few years ago I worked with a group on a new mission statement. I had sought to bring in as many people on the project as I could, as well as committed myself to a six to eight month time period to try and make sure that the needs of everyone had been satisfactorily considered. But near the end of the process one of the people who had been invited onto the committee, and had declined, admitted that he didn’t want to take part in the process because he wanted the privilege of grumbling about the outcome – something that he felt he couldn’t do if he was in on the procedure to develop the statement. I was surprised that he admitted it, but I suspected that several of the people who had said no to the invitation were secretly hiding the same ambition – they simply wanted to be free to criticize the outcome, whatever that outcome might be.

What we miss is that the Bible holds no upside for those with the spiritual gift of criticism. Paul, himself well rooted in Jewish folklore, says that when we grumble and complain, all we are really doing is courting the displeasure of God and the intervention of Meshachith the Destroyer. The severity of Paul’s judgment on our “spiritual gift of criticism” probably shocked the Corinthian Church as much as it does the contemporary one. But Paul’s message is clear – unwarranted criticism and grumbling results in death. According to Paul, in the past it has resulted in the physical death of the people of Israel, and in the present it can play havoc with both our physical and spiritual well-being.

If we truly want to be known as followers of God, then our grumbling needs to be dealt with. And if we decide that it is not important enough for us to deal with it, than it will be left in the domain of Meshachith the destroyer – and he will deal with it in a way that will not be to our edification.       

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11

Personal Note: For those who might be interested, my grandmother, Fannie Mullen, passed away yesterday afternoon. She was 102 and exactly six months, and a great lady. I have a lot of great memories, including some nights when the two of us would stay up late to watch old "MacGyver" reruns. She will most definitely be missed.

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. – 1 Corinthians 8:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 8, 2014): 1 Corinthians 8 & 9

Saying Grace. For some it is an antiquated ritual (and it is a really old practice) that no longer has any meaning in our society. However, it is also one of rituals that is truly cross cultural; and it is a practice that can be found in almost every society and it is a valuable part of almost every religion. A recent study revealed that, even today, 44 percent of us take part in the ritual on a regular basis – at least daily – and 46 percent of us rarely bother. The remaining ten percent fall somewhere in between. But even in our contemporary society there are some benefits to the act of saying Grace that those of us who don’t partake in the ritual may be missing.

Maybe most significantly saying grace connects us with something beyond ourselves. The obvious connection is with a deity of some sort, a power higher than us to whom gratitude is due. But it actually connects us to each other – and to the human condition. The act of saying thanks for what we have reminds us that there are those around us who do not have what it is that we have. Every one of us is lucky to have what we have. And so we say Grace – and we say thanks.

Too often we are too self-focussed, we need the reminder that others exist. In Paul’s time, the meat supply for the population had probably already been offered to a god other than the God of Israel. Because some other god had been given thanks for the meat, some believed that to eat the meat meant that you were following the god who had been given thanks for the food – who had been offered Grace. Paul disagreed, after all the god who had been given thanks for the food didn’t really exist, so how could they be followed. As far as Paul was concerned, meat was meat – thank God and eat.

But Paul understood that there were those who believed that the meat was tainted, and for them, the meat could not be consumed. And Paul had a choice. He could ignore the concerns of the other and ridicule those who held the belief, or he could see the other, and avoid the eating of meat so that they could remain strong. I am afraid that we would most likely choose the first, but Paul chose the second. He would see them and honor what they believed so that they could remain strong.

There is a Grace that is offered in South America. It is a simple prayer that focusses our attention on the other.  

To those who have hunger,

Give bread

And to those who have bread,

Give the hunger for justice.

Help us to recognize the other, and honor them so that they can remain strong.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 10

Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. – 1 Corinthians 7:21

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 7, 2014): 1 Corinthians 7

Francois Laurent, a historian and an expert in the theory of law during the nineteenth century, made this charge against the Christian Church with regard to the civil rights movement in his day:

To have done anything toward the enfranchisement of the servile classes, the Church had need of a living sentiment of liberty. But Christianity never had that sentiment: it accepted slavery by consecrating it with its authority. Yes, Christianity did more than accept slavery; it saw it as a Divine institution. It is not enough to say that Christianity does not condemn slavery; it would be more true to say that it sanctifies it.

Bu Laurent’s comment ignores the intense Christian debate over slavery that has existed almost since the time of Christ.  In the days leading up to the American Civil War, it was not unusual to find Pastors who were slave owners and Pastors who opposed slavery within the same Christian denomination – and sometimes who were present together at events and sharing the same stage. And part of the problem between Christianity and slavery is that it is hard to make any kind of judgment from the Christian writings themselves. The reality is that the New Testament was written in a time when slavery was culturally accepted. It did not have to validate slavery, the culture had already given the institution its seal of approval – in fact, more than that, it was a culture that knew of no other way to live. So maybe the bigger question that we need to deal with is simply this; could Christianity have opposed slavery given the historical situation? And that may be a question that we will never be able to answer.

To complicate the problem, we are not even sure how to translate some of the passages in the New Testament that deal with slavery. The way that we have the verse translated, it sounds like Paul is saying that status should not impact Christian life. There can be no argument which states that if only my life was different, I would be able to be a better Christian. Paul is definitely saying that we are called to make a difference in our world regardless of our status in life. God knew who we were, and the challenges that we face, when he called us.

But the second clause appears to state that if a slave can obtain freedom, then that is the path that should be taken. However, it is not the only interpretation. Some argue that it would be a better translation of the verse to phrase it as “even if a chance for freedom arises, make good use of your slavery.” The meaning of the statement is not to discourage slaves from pursuing their freedom, but rather to stress that God has a purpose even for slaves in the midst of unwanted life situations.

So, what was Paul’s stance on slavery? Maybe the best way to describe it is to say that it was a pragmatic stance. There seems to be no doubt that Paul’s personal conviction stood against slavery. All through his writings we find the theme that there should be no slave/free distinction within the Christian Church; that Christ has set us free spiritually, and physically. The word “emancipation” seems to be continually in the mind of Paul, and yet he never says the word.

And there are probably two reasons for Paul’s hesitancy to speak about freeing the slaves. First, slavery was culturally entrenched and to talk about emancipation would have exponentially increased the violence against the fledgling church. But maybe even more importantly, it may have confused the purpose of the young church as more slaves joined to gain freedom without understanding that that Jesus died on a cross to do more than change our physical situation, but rather to change our eternal reality.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 8 & 9

… you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. – 1 Corinthians 6:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 6, 2014): 1 Corinthians 6

In a world dominated by Barbie, we seem to be increasingly battling a war over our self-images. In a society where obesity reigns, Anorexia and Bulimia also seems to be on the rise. Most of us appear to be on one side or the other of the body weight spectrum, and fewer and fewer people are able to find the middle ground. Maybe an even more surprising development is the increase in frequency that the Anorexia and Bulimia specifically are making into the male population of our culture. But it isn’t that we just want to be too thin, or that we are too fat – our battle is being waged over our image of the way we want our bodies to look, an image that is becoming more and more unrealistic. Add to this the concept that we seem to be increasingly unable to see ourselves as we really are, and we quickly realize the depth of the problem, and our current inability to fix it.

The result is that we are living in a perfect world for anyone who wants to market diet aids (just count how many late night advertisements deal with diet products.) Those of us who are overweight, want to be thinner. Those of us who are of a more appropriate weight, still want to be thinner. And those of us who are already too thin, well, many of these people still believe in the core of the their being that life would be so much better if they were just a little thinner. We obsess over the idea of weight loss and believe that one day even we can look like – Barbie.

What we ignore is that there is a healthy weight – and it isn’t Barbie. But there is something else that we also miss. And that is that we have been purchased at a price. And the price was more precious than silver or gold, Jesus paid the price with his life. Paul applies this concept to the idea that we need to be careful with regard the activities that we participate in with our blood purchased bodies, which for Paul means running from any kind of sexual immorality. But the concept actually goes much deeper than just that. The reality is that our bodies, just the way that they are, deserve honor. We may not be perfect, but we are purchased. In true Christianity, there is no hatred of the body, but rather acceptance of our bodies which God has purchased at such a high price. In Christianity there should be no torturing of the body and no extreme asceticism (as some have practiced over the history of the faith.) There is no need to make the body pay for our sins. That price has already been paid.

And we need to be careful of our dreams. Some Christians dream of the day when the body will be resurrected. For many, this resurrection body is going to be different; perfect. Our resurrection bodies will reflect everything that we dreamt that we could be. But sometimes I wonder if that is really true – and would we really be able to be satisfied even with our new, perfected bodies. Maybe rather than dreaming of our new perfect bodies, we should spend some time trying to understand why God placed such a high value on the bodies that we already have – and then take the time to understand what it means to honor God with our bodies.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 7

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. – 1 Corinthians 5:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 5, 2014): 1 Corinthians 5

There is currently a revival of the debate over whether sports stars should be considered to be role models in the light of some very spectacular misbehaviours on the part of some of the elite players. In a world where our sports icons are frequently very well paid - minimum wage in most of the professional leagues is much higher than the average wage garnered by people outside of the industry - and also where these athletes command the attention and fame that is beyond the realm of possibility for most people, often the appearance is that these stars are living the life that for most of us only exists in our dreams. So these lives become the ones that many children dream about. They begin to emulate their favorite players. Whatever behavior they see is the behavior that they want reflect - millions of young fans simply want to grow up and be like their heroes. They dress like them, talk like them, wear their hair like them and in a very real way have already become the role models for millions of kids. I understand, as several people have recently argued, that they have not been hired and paid well because of the moral purity or because they exhibit a proper standard of behavior that would help a young fan mature and become an adult in our culture. In fact, some of them are still learning what it means to be a mature member of our society. They are hired simply because they can play the game. But whether or not they signed up to be somebody’s role model, the reality is that that is exactly who they are. None of us sign up to be role models, but when we gain the attention of the young around us who want to be just like us, that is exactly what we have become.

There are those who argue that this is simply unfair. They argue that professional sports leagues have no right to put a higher degree of expectation on these players than would be expected of the average person on the street. As well, it has been argued that the punishment of these players should not be heavier than that of the culture around them. The professional leagues should have no right to expel a player from playing in the game once they have cleared their debt to society for their wrong doing. In other words, Michael Vick should have suffered no longer an expulsion from the league for his involvement in the dog fights than was made necessary by his prison term, and Ray Rice should not be expelled from the NFL for any longer period than the law courts decide is necessary for the brutal treatment of his fiancé. But the sports leagues have argued the opposite, the league has a right to decide what behavior is appropriate for someone inside the league, what behavior matches the public image that the league desires to project – and because of this projected public image, the league has a responsibility to enforce their behavioral expectations on its members, behavior that is above what is demanded by the law of the culture in which they operate.

This is Paul’s point. It is evident that at least portions of the Corinthian Church had adopted a low moral view of Christian freedom - a view that allowed them to disregard the expectations of the culture. This may have been one of the reasons for the division within the church with some arguing for total freedom from cultural expectations while others argued for a higher view of Christian morality as taught by some of the key Christian teachers who had passed through the area. And the result was that some were doing away with even the most basic elements of the morality of the society. Paul is offended by this, and reminds the Corinthian church that they have to live within the greater culture, and to influence the people of that culture they would need to respect the morality of that culture. But beyond that, Christianity actually calls for a higher moral expectation of its members – and not a lower one. The Christian Church had a right to expect that its members would conduct themselves in such a way that brings honor to the church, and what was happening in this situation within the church was not bringing honor to the church (because the culture saw this as immorality), but it was also a misunderstanding of the Christian faith – and the idea that the demands of grace are always higher than the demands of the law.        

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 6

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. – 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 4): 1 Corinthians 4

On November 24, 2014, the Grand Jury in Ferguson, Missouri decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man suspected of a minor theft. The explanation for the reason not to indict was based, at least in some respects, because the evidence of some of the eyewitnesses did not measure up with other eyewitness statements or even with the physical evidence. The next question asked of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch was whether or not those witnesses who apparently gave incorrect eyewitness testimony would be charged with perjury. McCulloch responded with the comment that he had no doubt that those who testified incorrectly believed what it was that they were saying, even though circumstances seemed to tell a story that was sometimes exactly the opposite of what the witnesses said that they saw.

While that may seem impossible, it is a phenomenon of which scientists are well aware. We are the grand deceivers, and often the object of our deception is ourselves. Every one of us probably believes some things that are simply not true about ourselves. We think we know, but we don’t, even though we are certain of what it is that we are saying. It is this reality that makes eyewitness testimony extremely unreliable – which is something that it is hard to get our heads around.

However, it seems that it was something that Paul understood. Paul recognized that there were several ways that he could be judged. And the lowest form of that judgement was in the court of public opinion or in the human courts. A human court weighs the evidence and attempts to see the events through the eyes of the collected facts and what people believe that they saw. Some do a better job of evaluating the facts than others, and some made their decisions more on an emotional basis, but none can be sure that their judgments are correct. There is no mob or judge or jury on the planet that knows absolutely that they are right. And even a confession isn’t absolute proof. Because the next level of judgment is based on the way that we see ourselves. But even that is not accurate. Several psychological disorders are based on our inability to perceive ourselves correctly, and perceiving our actions is no different. When we believe what we have done violates our own moral standard, our conscience moves against us, but even that is suspect. We deceive ourselves about both the meaning of our actions and our own moral understanding. The only absolute judgment belongs to God. And Paul says that it is only his judgment that really matters.

So Paul says he really doesn’t care what a human courts says about him, he knows that his own conscious is clear, but Paul is smart enough to understand that even with a clear conscience he still might not be innocent. And since this is true, his only chance is to stand in the center of the grace of God, the only objective judge.

I have no idea if the Grand Jury’s judgment in Missouri is right, and there are those on both sides of the issue that are sure about their own judgment on the case  - that they are the ones who are right. On the other hand, no matter what it is that a human court says, Darren Wilson is going to have to live with his actions. But we believe that one day he will stand before the only one who truly knows what happened on that dark day. And for everyone involved, that will be the real Day of Judgment.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 5