The 2nd Sunday after Epiphany - "You are not lacking . . ."

         To be called, to be sanctified or set apart as holy in Christ Jesus, to be enriched and to be strengthened in the gifts we need:  St. Paul offers this pattern of God's work among the people who came together to form what we call "the early church."  As we look at our own journeys in Christ, does this pattern seem to apply to our experiences?  If so--even it isn't an exact match--it may be close enough to warrant a closer look.

Two important aspects of St. Paul's first letter to the Christian community in Corinth: first, although Paul mentions individuals in this letter, he intends to address the community as a whole; second, all this positive, supportive language at the beginning of this letter serves as a quick prelude to some serious, stinging criticism.

          We have a difficult time viewing salvation as belonging to a congregation as a whole.  It is only slightly easier to view serving in Christ's name as a community goal.  We are an individualistic culture, and we have a very personal understanding of salvation.  Yes, conversion--as a instantaneous event or as a slow process--does occur one person at a time.  But for Paul the life of the Christian community bears witness to that conversion.

Verse two begins "To the church of God."  In Greek the word is ekklesia that can be more closely translated as "assembly"--a bunch of folks getting together.  Or in southern speak: "To y'all of God."  How often do we think of this assembly of folks called "St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church" as doing well at worshipping and serving our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Even the sign on the door to this worship space works against that understanding.  It says "Servant's Entrance." That's servant-apostrophe-"s," not servants-with an "s" then an apostrophe.  It's singular when perhaps it should be plural.

Some might argue that each of us must embrace our servanthood, before the church can claim its servanthood.  But I would say this in response: if we claim we are a servant community, then we set the atmosphere against which we can measure how we are doing, individually and collectively, at any moment in our lives together.  As we look through the Annual Reports in the booklet we will receive, as we remember how we worked together in projects to raise money to give back to the community, as we remember how we felt supported by other members of this community in their prayers, as we remember how we love each other even when we get frustrated by what someone says or does: then we realize that St. Paul was speaking truth when he says, "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus. . ." 

Look to your right, to your left and across to the other side of the church, can you say Paul's words to the people you have looked at?  You are not thanking God for their competence or their hard work—although we would have a difficult time without these things—but you are giving thanks for the "grace of God" that you see within them, placed there by God.  It's easy, of course, to see this in those folks you like or who share your points-of-view.  But we must remember that Paul said this to folks he was pretty unhappy with, because they were dividing themselves into factions, because some of them were holding themselves up as more spiritually astute than others, because they were quarreling and acting with jealousy toward each other, and because they were using the idea of freedom to behave immorally.  How in the world could he say these positive things he says in this introductory passage, given he was about to condemn their behavior?

This question brings us to the second aspect of this introductory passage, Paul's words at the beginning of I Corinthians offers a stark contrast to criticism after criticism as he continues this letter.  In this contrast is he using irony as a rhetorical device?  Is he trying to get the Corinthians on his side, so they will listen to his critique? Or is he holding up the truth of human nature, especially our nature, we who have promised to love God and live as Jesus taught us?  Indeed, to quote verse seven, we "are not lacking in any spiritual gift as [we] wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ." The truth for the Christian assembly of Corinth and the truth for us today at St. Nicholas' can be summed up this way: we have all we need to be a "light" to the folks who share our lives—even to be a “light” to the whole world—or as our baptismal promise states, to "seek and serve Christ in all persons loving [our] neighbor as our self."

St. Paul explains this in the 13th chapter of this letter to the Christian assembly in Corinth that begins, "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude."  We know how difficult this standard of self-giving love is, whether in our personal lives or in the life of this assembly of folks who worship together at St. Nicholas'.  Yet beginning from the Christian community in Corinth and all to today here at St. Nicholas'—no matter what criticisms might be fairly leveled against us and no matter how we difficult we find living faithfully as Christ's servants—Paul's words of affirmation still ring true,". . .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 be 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."

In other words, at times we may live righteously or at times we may fail to live as Christ taught us, yet as an ekklesia--an assembly of those who believe God has called them to live faithfully and to love generously—God has our back—it’s God’s “amazing grace.”  And for this there is only one response: "Thanks be to God."