Thoughts for the Day

When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels—to say nothing of ordinary matters? If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, but a believer goes to court against a believer—and before unbelievers at that?

In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—and believers at that.

Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? And this is what some of you used to be..... But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I liked doing fun things in Assemblies when I was a Diocesan RE Adviser. One example of what our souls look like before and after Jesus washes our sin away, involved turning a large black stain on a white handkerchief instantly pure white again!** For the children and staff the demonstration was mesmerising.

Today's reading looks at the Corinthian's custom of taking their internal church disputes to the law courts. This would have been a strange custom for Paul since Jews would take disputes to the village or synagogue Elders for a solution. If taken to the court in Jerusalem then two judges were appointed to represent each side, and a third as an arbitrator. To Paul it was anathema that the members of the church should take their case to a public law court.

Over the last 2,000 years the Church has sometimes had a poor record of judging itself. Being human we can be infected with all kinds of prejudices. In the past woman were ducked in ponds for misdemeanours, and tried as "witches"! Today we don't have a good record of dealing with those who report sexual misconduct by clergy.

Paul queries whether the Corinthians had any wise person who could reconcile differences, and questions their veracity. He ends the passage by saying: "Wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God", and he reminds them that they were wrongdoers in the past, before they were "washed" and "sanctified" by the Lord Jesus Christ through the Spirit of God. Nurtured in a toxic society, only Jesus could wash them clean of their sin.

** See 'Christian Assemblies for Primary Schools' by Sharon Swain (still around second-hand) or comment below.

Lord Jesus Christ,
we come to You this day
to ask forgiveness for our sin.
Send Your Holy Spirit
to wash us clean of the sin
from our wrongdoing,
that we may continue
to do Your work in the world.
Amen.