Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
October 4, 2021
The Invitatory
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Praise ye the Lord.
The Lord's Name be praised.
Reading: 1 Corinthians 9: 16-27
If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe betide me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable garland, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
What are we willing to do so that others can see God? To that end, which identities are we more willing to cast off or take on?
Today’s epistle reading may sound a bit off-putting: “to the Jew I became as a Jew…to those under the law I became as one under the law…to those outside the law I became as one outside the law…to the weak, I became weak.” Paul’s chameleon-like behavior seems to be changing based on present company. To our twenty-first century ears, this may sound inauthentic, merely a way to appease people. Taken out of context, this passage could be dangerous — especially to those who may be people-pleasers already. But is Paul really advocating inauthenticity or pleasing others for one’s own sake? Perhaps, there is more to this passage than initially meets the eye,
The context is the argument surrounding the consumption of idol food. To accommodate a large number of people it was necessary that banquets were often held at the local temple. This meant that attendees consumed idol food and participated in rituals that honored the gods. The congregation is divided over whether to eat idol food. Their understanding of the dilemma is shaped by position in society.
Perhaps it is helpful to think about this with some of the characters from Pride and Prejudice in mind. Elizabeth Bennett, the heroine of the novel, is intelligent and high-spirited. She shares her father’s distaste for the conventional views of society, especially the importance of wealth and rank. The modest Bennett family estate is to be inherited by William Collins, a clergyman. He is almost a caricature in his mincing and fawning ways. His patron, the controlling Lady Catherine de Bourgh, is the height of snobbery and class consciousness.
To return to this passage, bear in mind that there is no such notion of “a religion” at the time of Paul’s letter. There are many deities and practices. What Paul is conveying in this part of I Corinthians is not so much a new religion but a new world order, particularly a new way of being with God and one another. He has a fresh and different perspective that shakes up what people have heretofore taken for granted in their social world - a social world that will shortly be reconstructed.
These words suggest what is to come. Paul encourages those who have power and privilege to be willing to renounce their privileges when their behavior would lead others astray. These divisions are not just over “knowledge,” but include how to navigate more complex or sophisticated social settings that are defined by social status. The weak in the community do not have the breadth of social interactions as people of privilege. Paul is convinced that the gospel turns this world of privilege upside down. And this makes it possible for all human beings to see each other differently and for all human beings to have a place in God’s presence.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
