"Rudy" was a young man who dreamed to play football at Notre Dame. Unfortunately his small stature kept him out of the starting lineup. In the last game of his senior year, his teammates convinced the coach to let him in the game with only a few seconds left. It was a tremendous moment in his life. Paul is saying here that when it comes to faith, everyone is Rudy.
Imagine a bull's eye, the kind you use in target practice – ever-expanding concentric circles. Now imagine the names you would put in the bands, giving priority to those most important to you – close friends near the center; distant acquaintances on the fringes. Now, ask yourself: Who's in the center of your circle? Who's in the bull's eye?
When Augustine described our efforts to do things that will "get us right with God" he used a Latin phrase to describe what we're doing. Martin Luther picked up that same phrase. That Latin phrase is "in curvatus se." It means being curved in upon oneself.
Just so we're clear: Jesus was not Presbyterian. Nor was he Baptist … or Methodist … or Catholic … or a member of any denomination. If he came back today he'd be appalled at the way the church bearing his name has become so splintered and divided. In many ways, the church today is foreign to everything Jesus prayed for.
St. Paul's is a small congregation. It may never be a huge congregation. But does it need to be? St. Paul's is not a wealthy congregation. But does it need to be? God isn't calling us to be huge and wealthy. God is calling us to serve this community, to be a part of this community, to be a source of God's message in this community.
Today, on this Trinity Sunday, all we need is just to be quiet. Lie back. Stare at the stars and be totally filled with amazement. The creator of all that—loves the world. Loves you. Loves me. Loves the young people who will be baptised and confirmed today. He is our God. He made us. He saved us. He calls us into his family.
If there is one thing the cantankerous Corinthian church cannot do, it is to put things in order. They can't agree with one another either. Definitely not their strong suit. Live in peace? Forget about it! And they're not too good at listening to Paul's appeal, either.
In the winter of our pain and trouble we find ourselves, we find the means to help others and we find our God ... and so learn the true and deeper joy of real life. On the night before Jesus was to die, he said, "In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world."
St Paul said that our "weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities" are opportunities to show God's grace and God's glory. As we are weak, we come to know that Christ is strong. As we suffer, we come to understand the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. As we triumph over our adversities, we are empowered by God working in us.
Rather than boast of his achievements, Paul "boasted in his weaknesses." Paul, like any of us, had appealed to God to be free of his hardships, but God responded to Paul by saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." Power in weakness? You got to be kidding.