Words of Welcome

  William Wilson, Caritas, Glasgow Cathedral 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 As we continue our journey through the season of Epiphany, we’re looking for manifestations of God’s presence in the world. We began with the Magi following a star to Bethlehem, and that led to hearing God call out to Jesus at his baptism. We’ve heard Paul say that “to each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” ( 1 Cor. 12:7 ) and that the church is a manifestation of the presence of Jesus’s body in the world. Although the gifts of the Spirit are important to the health of the body of Christ, there is one more thing needed. That is what Paul calls the “more excellent way” ( 1 Cor. 12:31 ).  What is this “more excellent way?” It’s as that 1960s song proclaimed: “What the World needs now is love, sweet love.” That is the message of 1 Corinthians 13.  Paul places this hymn to love right in the middle of his discussion of spiritual gifts. Since the Corinthians are arguing about which gift is mos

  1 Corinthians 12:12-31a The church is more than a building but it’s also more than a voluntary association of people. At least, that’s what Paul thinks. According to Paul, the church is much like the human body, which has many parts. If the body is healthy, all of its parts work together in harmony. The same is true of the church, the Body of Christ.  Paul tells us that we’re joined together as the Body of Christ through our baptism into Christ. It doesn’t matter if we’re slave or free, Jew or Greek, because we’re all one in the Spirit of God. Paul doesn’t give us a detailed anatomy lesson when he describes the Body of Christ. He just assumes we all have a basic knowledge of how the body works. He focuses our attention on the diversity of parts in both the human body and the body of Christ. In a healthy body, every member plays their part. You may notice that Paul uses a bit of humor and sarcasm to get his point across. He asks us to consider the possibility that because i

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John the Baptist stood in the Jordan River preaching a message of repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. When people asked if he was the Messiah, he told the people that while he baptized with water, another person was coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire ( Lk 3:1-17 ). Last Sunday, when we reaffirmed our baptismal vows, we reaffirmed the promise that in our baptisms we have been sealed with this same Holy Spirit John spoke of. Yes, Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. This Sunday we build on that message by turning to Paul’s discussion of spiritual things. Here in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells the believers in Corinth that he does want them to be ignorant when it comes to spiritual things.   Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church reveal something interesting. They are a very dysfunctional congregation, which means dysfunctional churches have been around since the very beginning of the Christian movement

  Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 In the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, three convicts break free from a chain gang and head off on a journey. Everett, Pete, and Delmar have many interesting encounters and adventures that mirror Homer’s story of Odysseus. Along the way, the trio comes upon a group of people lining up to be baptized in a river.    When Delmar hears the people singing Down to the River to Pray he runs down to the river and jumps to the front of the line so he can be baptized by the preacher without delay. When he rises from the baptismal waters, he believes that he is now a changed man. The old Delmar had been buried with Jesus in the waters of baptism and as he rose with Jesus he was a new creation ( Rom. 6:1-4 ). Filled with joy, he shared the good news with his companions:  Well that's it boys, I been redeemed! The preacher warshed away all my sins and transgressions. It's the straight-and-narrow from here on out and heaven everlasting's my reward! Among th

  Ephesians 1:3-14 With a new year beginning, we can begin thinking about what 2022 will bring? We start the year with COVID still hanging over our heads, along with much political uncertainty and polarization. It’s easy to get discouraged, but we’re not without hope. We don’t know what this year will bring, but we take confidence in the promise that God has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” So blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  We opened worship singing about a “star shining in the east beyond them far, and to the earth it gave a great light.” [ Glory to God , 147 v. 2]. We’ll close our worship singing about the “Star of wonder, Star of night, Star with royal beauty bright” that will “guide us to thy perfect light!” [ Glory to God , 151]. These hymns promise that God will guide us through life, blessing us with spiritual gifts and calling us to ministries of blessing. As we follow the star, guided by God’s perfec