WITHIN REACH (4)
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
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Within Reach (4)
Lectionary, Year C, Epiphany 4
Christopher B. Harbin
1st Corinthians 13:1-13
I've spent a lot of energy and time over the years digging into questions of orthodoxy: what is right thinking about God? What is the correct interpretation of a Biblical passage? What is the most accurate way to reflect theologically about God, the Bible, the church, the larger community, and the world around us? It's been central to my theological training, my church life, my tradition's message about what matters and how to define ''real Christianity'' in the face of so many disparate ways of understanding and applying faith.
Along the way, some have said the gospel and Bible are simple to interpret. My library begs to differ. And yet, there is some simplicity we have often overlooked. The larger world around us knows what we have often failed to accept. Jesus' message of love for all is within reach of any who give his words even a cursory glance. Perhaps more of my time and energy would have been better focused on orthopraxis: doing what is right.
Jesus did not give a lot of time to concerns of theology. Sure, he offered clarifications on God's will and character of grace. He spent much more of his time and energy focused on questions of orthopraxis: what is the correct or best way for us to live? He taught these things in words, as well as in actions. He challenged other Pharisees to go further in making the worship of Yahweh a spiritual practice inundating all their relationships under the banner of God's love, grace, and inclusion. He challenged practices and attitudes that limited acceptance, love, and grace for different classes of people.
This is what Paul is getting at in today's passage. This text we often read at weddings is not about romantic love. It is not about familial love. It is about the love God would have us express to one and all. It is the love we should share with family, church, community, and members of a society that does not ...
Lectionary, Year C, Epiphany 4
Christopher B. Harbin
1st Corinthians 13:1-13
I've spent a lot of energy and time over the years digging into questions of orthodoxy: what is right thinking about God? What is the correct interpretation of a Biblical passage? What is the most accurate way to reflect theologically about God, the Bible, the church, the larger community, and the world around us? It's been central to my theological training, my church life, my tradition's message about what matters and how to define ''real Christianity'' in the face of so many disparate ways of understanding and applying faith.
Along the way, some have said the gospel and Bible are simple to interpret. My library begs to differ. And yet, there is some simplicity we have often overlooked. The larger world around us knows what we have often failed to accept. Jesus' message of love for all is within reach of any who give his words even a cursory glance. Perhaps more of my time and energy would have been better focused on orthopraxis: doing what is right.
Jesus did not give a lot of time to concerns of theology. Sure, he offered clarifications on God's will and character of grace. He spent much more of his time and energy focused on questions of orthopraxis: what is the correct or best way for us to live? He taught these things in words, as well as in actions. He challenged other Pharisees to go further in making the worship of Yahweh a spiritual practice inundating all their relationships under the banner of God's love, grace, and inclusion. He challenged practices and attitudes that limited acceptance, love, and grace for different classes of people.
This is what Paul is getting at in today's passage. This text we often read at weddings is not about romantic love. It is not about familial love. It is about the love God would have us express to one and all. It is the love we should share with family, church, community, and members of a society that does not ...
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