Living the gospel



Daily reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Saturday April 30, 2016

Focus passage: Christ didn’t send me to baptize but to preach the good news.  And Christ didn’t send me to preach the good news with clever words so that Christ’s cross won’t be emptied of its meaning.  The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed.  But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved.  1 Corinthians 1:17-18

The church is a remarkable social experiment where we practice diversity because our focus in on Christ who dwells in each of us and the unity we share does not insist upon uniformity.

Paul spoke infrequently about baptism in his letters, but he does here to remind the congregation of the new life that his possible in the baptismal waters, it is the one central claim that we all share.
Speaking of new life and imagining new growth is life giving and Paul is beckoning the community back to their purpose. 

The gospel is so compelling, so life giving and we all are given the opportunity to live it and to share it.  We are all invited and included in the community of faith where together we embody the presence of Christ in ways that bring life to us all.  

Prayer: God, in the places in the world where I find division, help me to be a bridge builder. In the places in my life where I find division, help me to see the fundamentals of unity and allow the things that are not essential to fall away. Amen.

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