Mar. 19 - Sunday
1 Corinthians 1:22-25Readings
Pam was ready to buy a table at a flea market when a man came up and told her that the old table wasn’t sturdy and would not hold up well. While this presented a stumbling block, Pam bought it anyway.
About twenty-five years ago, a friend told Jim about a new software company, which he was thinking of investing in. Convinced it was a failure, Jim’s dad called the investment a waste of money, but Jim didn’t listen. He went ahead and bought some shares of the stock.
Two years later, Pam had her table appraised and was told it was a valuable antique worth $50,000. Jim’s investment, in a little-known company called Microsoft, has multiplied over and over again and made Jim a healthy sum of money.
A stumbling block? Foolishness? Perhaps. But these were the same words that St. Paul used in describing the gospel. The image of a crucified Messiah was a stumbling block to Jews. His life did not match up with the way they were expecting God to save them. Likewise, the logical Greeks could not fathom Paul’s explanation of salvation. To them, it was nothing more than a good story.
On the other hand, a few Jews and Greeks accepted Paul’s words, believed in Jesus, and gave their lives to him. The early Christian churches that these disciples built had one unique message that formed the foundation of their faith: the message of a crucified and risen Messiah that sounded like folly to Greeks and scandal to Jews.
Two thousand years later, this same Jesus is at the center of our faith. It is this “foolish” gospel that draws us together each Sunday. And how blessed we are to believe in such folly! We have found a magnificent God who loves us completely. Let’s make today’s celebration special. Let’s all tell Jesus that he is our God and we are his people.
“Dear Lord, you are wise and loving. Come make your home in me. I want to embrace the incredible ‘folly’ of your salvation.”
posted by Thomas Cagurangan @ 8:50 PM
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