Reconciled to Righteousness

Paul’s letters to the Corinthians indicate that they were an unruly people. While there are two letters to them in the New Testament, most scholars suggest that they are a compilation of at least three letters, and it is possible there were five or six. The town did have a history of unruly behavior. It was destroyed by the Romans in 147 b.c. for its refusal to follow Roman law. When it was re-founded a hundred years later it was settled by retired Roman legionnaires and was also an important seaport. Mix mariners and ex-soldiers together and you can get a pretty dicey mix. On top of all that is the fact that life in the Roman empire in the first century A.D. was harsh and violent. I know that we have had many discussions of late about the violence in our city and country but it is nothing like it was in Paul’s time. Life was short. The average age was forty or fifty years. The punishment for most crimes was death, often by a method that was slow and painful. There was no social network to support those in need. If calamity happened and you lost everything you were reduced to begging, possibly even slavery. Life was hard, the people knew it, and they learned to look out for themselves to keep the wolves of hunger and poverty from conquering them. Paul had his work cut out for him trying to guide these people in their new found faith in Christ. 

The Corinthians’ first instinct, taught by society, was to look out for themselves. They spent their lives grabbing and holding on to what they had. Selfishness was a way to survive. Do not look out for others because, given the chance, they will take what you have for themselves. The Christians in Corinth learned that lesson well. They fought over who was the greatest, who had the best gifts, who should be the leader of the bunch, and thereby be the one who wins the greatest prize. I suppose that is not surprising, just look around at our current world. Just look at ourselves. While our world may not be as violent and ruthless as Paul's, we see the same symptoms of a world that is full of selfish individuals who only look out for themselves. No need to follow traffic laws. No need to worry that my actions cause harm to others – they have the same chance as I do! We are just like the Corinthians. And like the Corinthians we need to hear Paul admonish us.

We have gathered here today not as the world gathers - to brag about our accomplishments - but to confess our selfish desires. Unlike the world, we know that we cannot live without the grace of God. We were reminded of that in our confession today. While we do try to live our lives as God desires (if not, we would not be here), we heard God’s call and pronounced our sins once again. And, as every year, there are the same ones that strike me as really personal. The same ones. Even knowing and confessing them, year after year, I have not changed them. Have not been able to change them. While those that struck you this year are different than mine, your story is the same. 

Knowing and confessing is only part of the story. Jesus is the other part who God made to be sin who knew no sin so that our sins may be forgiven. This Lent think of Jesus. Get out the holy book and read God’s word, set aside a time each day for a conversation with God, and when you find yourself in a busy and selfish world shine the light of Christ upon them with acts of kindness, truth, justice, and peace.