Here at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 11, Paul’s letter begins to focus on some specific controversies in the Corinthian church that may seem rather puzzling in our 21st century context. But as in the earlier portion of the book, often the issue at hand isn’t the root issue at all. Perhaps Paul isn’t concerned so much with headgear and…
Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit… —Acts 2:2-4—Acts 2:2-4 This morning, along with the rest of the Western church, we…
Have you ever noticed how often the Psalter calls us to look back on the past? Many of the Scripture passages in this morning’s bulletin are taken from the Psalter, and each one refers to God’s working out His providence in history. We are called to hear “dark sayings from of old” that our fathers told us and that we…
O may His love, immortal flame, tune every heart and tongue. —Anne Steel Each of the hymns in this morning’s service elaborates on some aspect of the call for the Christian to be witnesses for the Gospel “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). In the opening and closing hymns,…
After spending 11 verses establishing his authority as an apostle and the accompanying rights and privileges to which he is entitled, Paul makes what could be an unexpected turn: refusing the comforts of material gain. He does not assert his rights, preferring instead to “endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ” (1…
In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul develops a principle that he has set out in the previous chapters: dealing with interactions between brethren with wisdom and care. Just as he answers questions on human relationships with pastoral tenderness in chapter 7, here the apostle deals with a religious controversy with practical wisdom: the more mature should not wound their weaker brethren…
Light of the anxious heart, Jesus, Thou dost appear To bid the gloom of guilt depart and shed Thy sweetness here. —Bernard of Clairvaux Just as Paul warns his readers in 1 Corinthians 7 to be “free from anxieties,” the hymns we sing this morning develop themes of setting aside worldly fears in favor of the rest we have…
Teach us, then, by humble means, whether rich or poor, In times of hunger help us lean upon the gracious stores, Christ our gracious store. —Nathan George In today’s sermon text, we find Paul encouraging us towards contentment: “…let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him” (1 Corinthians…
I hope that over the past five weeks you have enjoyed learning and singing Do You Decree, O Earthly Gods (Psalm 58). This is certainly one of the more unusual texts in the psalter, in which David details the corruption of earthly rulers who “go astray from birth, speaking lies” (vs. 3), have venom like serpents (vs. 4), and “deal…
During our Wednesday night Lententide devotions, we have been walking through passages from the Gospel of John, highlighting not just the details of Jesus’ passion and death (“what” and “how), but why He had to die. Likewise, in this morning’s text from 1 Corinthians it could be easy to focus on the prohibitions Paul places on sexuality and miss the…