In 1 Corinthians 14:1-12, the Apostle Paul distinguishes between spiritual gifts that are personally edifying and those that are publicly edifying, and he encourages us to pursue the latter. In his own words: “Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.” Let us examine the passage in closer detail. First, remember the larger context of this passage. Throughout 1 Corinthians 12-14, Paul is responding to the Corinthian abuse of the gift of speaking in tongues. The gift of tongues, first mentioned in Acts 2:1-13, is the divinely given ability to … Continue reading Consumers and Producers (1 Corinthians 14:1-12)

This devotional originally appeared the week of 9/11. I hope it still speaks to today’s conflicts.  The events of this week remind us of the radical impermanence of the world.   Who would have thought – on Tuesday, September 11, before 8:45 a.m. – that the day would end with the deaths of nearly 5,000 victims and the total destruction of the Twin Towers and the partial destruction of the Pentagon? Who would have thought that a peaceful nation would, within minutes, be transformed into a nation gearing up for war? Who would have thought that the terror visited upon other, … Continue reading The Love Chapter, Part 3 (1 Corinthians 13:8b-13)

The word “love” is one of the most indiscriminately used words in the English language. The statements “I love God,” “I love my children,” and “I love chalupas at Taco Bell” all use the same words to describe radically different emotional states. After all, if you love God and chalupas in the same way, then either God does not mean too much to you or chalupas mean far too much. Either way, your love is misplaced.  The Greeks have an advantage over us English-speaking folks, for they employed four words for love: storge, philia, eros, and agape. Storge is the … Continue reading The Love Chapter, Part 2 (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

Sandwiched between two very practical chapters on the nature and use of spiritual gifts stands 1 Corinthians 13 – the “love chapter.” Too often, we divorce the “love chapter” from its literary context and read it at weddings. Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 applies to the relationship between a husband and a wife, but first and foremost, it applies to how members of a church should treat one another. The Corinthians, it turns out, did not know how to treat one another. Their common life was characterized by “jealousy and quarreling” (3:3). They ate food sacrificed to idols, indifferent to … Continue reading The Love Chapter, Part 1 (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

A few years ago, I attended a church with a young man named Michael. Michael’s body was (and is) wracked by cerebral palsy, an infirmity that binds him to a wheelchair and requires a caretaker to help him with his daily tasks. It might seem that Michael would be able to contribute little to the ministry of the church. That was my first impression, anyway. How wrong I was! Michael actually had two ministries in the church. First, he inspired love in other people. Often, we shrink away from people with physical disabilities, especially those with severe disabilities like Michael’s. … Continue reading The Church Is the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

Of late, I have noticed with increasing frequency that many people describe themselves as “spiritual, not religious.” In my college logic class, I learned to call such a description a “false disjunction.” After all, a person can be both spiritual and religious. It need not be an either/or proposition. Certainly, I believe that I am both an adherent of the Christian religion and a spiritual person. In fact, I believe that I am filled with the Holy Spirit precisely because of – not in spite of – my belief in Jesus. Logical quibbles aside, however, I readily understand why so … Continue reading Spirituality and Religion (1 Corinthians 12:1-3)

Several years ago, I returned to my home church after a long absence. It had been some time since anyone had seen me, and I had put on a number of pounds. So, at first, people who had known me all my life did not recognize me. That was bad enough. Worse, however, was my extreme isolation. I had attended another church during my time away, and every Sunday service was followed by a boisterous, well-attended meal at a local restaurant. When I returned to my home church, however, I returned as a stranger and ate my post-church meals alone. … Continue reading Communion and Community (1 Corinthians 11:17-24)