ONE SPIRIT (2)
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
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One Spirit (2)
Lectionary, Year C
Christopher B. Harbin
1st Corinthians 12:1-11
It's not about me. It's not about you. It's not about us. In a society consumed with self, those may be hard things to hear. We want to believe that we are at the center of the universe. We want to believe the world revolves around us, our neighborhood, our community, our county, state, and nation. Galileo and Copernicus got in trouble for declaring openly that the earth and the sun were not the center of the universe, but we still try to cling to such outdated concepts because we want life to be all about us, all about me. How do we let go of such infantile notions? Can we handle allowing God to take center stage in every aspect of our lives?
First Century Corinth exhibited a background of chaos in the worship of Bacchus. It was not just that people were allowed to become rowdy in their worship of this deity. It was an expected and integral part of the worship of Bacchus that there be shouting, yelling, speaking in unintelligible utterance, along with the banging of cymbals and producing of other discordant sounds. Women especially figured prominently in fulfilling the roles of producing what in other arenas would be considered disruptions. They may have been relegated to the fringes of society in many ways, but at least in the cult of Bacchus and some other deities, they played prominent roles. It is against this backdrop that we find Paul's words to the Corinthian church, not only about women keeping contrasting silence but also regarding order.
A chaotic range of sounds and voices passed for many as divine utterance. One's individual expression was deemed a testament to personal piety or spirituality. The advancement of self came at the expense of the good of the whole or the edification of the community. Revelry was the focus of ecstatic expression in that context. Regarding the Christian faith, the whole experience was worthless. It was all missing the mark, detracti ...
Lectionary, Year C
Christopher B. Harbin
1st Corinthians 12:1-11
It's not about me. It's not about you. It's not about us. In a society consumed with self, those may be hard things to hear. We want to believe that we are at the center of the universe. We want to believe the world revolves around us, our neighborhood, our community, our county, state, and nation. Galileo and Copernicus got in trouble for declaring openly that the earth and the sun were not the center of the universe, but we still try to cling to such outdated concepts because we want life to be all about us, all about me. How do we let go of such infantile notions? Can we handle allowing God to take center stage in every aspect of our lives?
First Century Corinth exhibited a background of chaos in the worship of Bacchus. It was not just that people were allowed to become rowdy in their worship of this deity. It was an expected and integral part of the worship of Bacchus that there be shouting, yelling, speaking in unintelligible utterance, along with the banging of cymbals and producing of other discordant sounds. Women especially figured prominently in fulfilling the roles of producing what in other arenas would be considered disruptions. They may have been relegated to the fringes of society in many ways, but at least in the cult of Bacchus and some other deities, they played prominent roles. It is against this backdrop that we find Paul's words to the Corinthian church, not only about women keeping contrasting silence but also regarding order.
A chaotic range of sounds and voices passed for many as divine utterance. One's individual expression was deemed a testament to personal piety or spirituality. The advancement of self came at the expense of the good of the whole or the edification of the community. Revelry was the focus of ecstatic expression in that context. Regarding the Christian faith, the whole experience was worthless. It was all missing the mark, detracti ...
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