Sermons on 1 Corinthians
Religion & Politics
We continue our post-Easter sermon series exploring “The Power of Words.” This week, we remember the common conflict-avoidance of never talking about politics or religion by exploring both! As our denomination gathers at General Conference in Charlotte, NC, important matters are addressed by this international decision-making body. How we address one another even in these high-impact situations can say a lot about who we are. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-12; 12:31b & 13:4-8a (NRSV)
Raised in Glory
This Sunday we continue our series called The Body of Christ: Learning & Re-Learning How to Be a Christian. Indeed, we are nearing the end of this series as we get closer to the season of Lent! We began with the Spirit’s presence in baptism and Paul’s assertion that we are united in the Spirit. And as we followed Paul’s argument, we were (hopefully) compelled by his illustrations of the diversity of the body. We were reminded of our physical…
The First
In this week’s text, Paul returns to one of the central disagreements present for the Corinthian community. He does so building on last week’s reminder about going back to the basics. He does so by starting with Jesus. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 (CEB)
Hold On!
This week, the text invites us to go back to the very beginning of our spiritual lives. Do you remember when you first heard the amazing, “good news,” heard it in a way that changed your life? Hold on to that moment, Paul says. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (CEB)
The Greatest of These
This week may hone in on our overall focus; this may be the “why” for us as people of The Way. The song suggests that “they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” A very different song asks, “what is love?” Is it romantic? Is it fraternal? Is it parental? Is it self-serving? Is it selfless? Should we love God? Should we love our neighbor? The thirteenth chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth is likely the most…
We Are the Body
This Sunday as we continue our Worship series, we learn that there is beautiful diversity in God’s creation and even within our unity. Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth draws a powerful illustration, reminding us that we are beautifully unique with individual gifts that make our union in the Spirit profoundly strong. Because of our diversity and because of our unity, we are more than the sum of our individual parts. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a (CEB)
Many Gifts
Just as we began last week at the beginning (with Baptism and Holy Communion), our first section of Paul’s letter starts with the Holy Spirit. Before we can talk about how we’re connected, before we can talk about the importance of love, before we can talk about what we bring to our faith community, we must first explore what connects and empowers us: the Holy Spirit. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (CEB)