Sermon
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Being Graced, and Doing It Gracefully
Corinth was a gifted church. It was a church that grew against all the odds. They had people in that church that could do all sorts of things. People who could preach and teach and lead inspiring service. There were healers and people with the ability to discern spirits – to know if something was right or wrong. There were wealthy people and intelligent people. There was a diversity of cultures and backgrounds and languages represented among the members of that congregation. That was but one of their strengths.
It is no wonder that Paul gave God thanks for the grace they had been given. He goes on to say that in Jesus they had been enriched in every way. He then sites the example of their speaking and in all their knowledge. I would guess he meant their teaching and preaching and wisdom. In fact he says that they lack no spiritual gift.
But having thanked God for what they had received, Paul goes on to tell them that Jesus will strengthen them. God is faithful and He alone has given them the ability to do what they have done. And He will not stop strengthening them. God will keep giving them the grace and the gifts they need to persevere until he comes again.
Problem was they got puffed up about it. Sure the Corinthians were gifted, but they came to think too much of themselves. As you read through the books of 1st and 2nd Corinthians you see that over and over again. The people who could preach thought themselves better then those who couldn’t. The people who could speak in tongues thought they should run the worship services. The rich brought a feast to the “carry in” dinner and the poor went hungry.
At the heart of it all, I think, was a failure to recognize the source of their grace. They were there by the grace of God. Corinth was world renowned as a city of sin. To live an immoral life was called “Corinthizing” in the ancient world. And many of the members of that congregation had been saved out of those immoral lifestyles.
The fact that the church even existed in that environment is a testimony to the grace of God. And the gifts of speaking and teaching and healing and inspiring were all from God. The diversity of people and cultures and languages were a gift from God. But over and over again the Corinthians failed to acknowledge that truth, and instead they thought themselves to be great. They said “Look at what we have done and what we can do.” The danger was that they would stop trusting in God’s grace all together. Then they would very ungracefully fall flat on their faces.
You know Grace United Methodist Church is a very gifted church. I look around at the faces of all the people present. I see people who can paint, people who have published books. I see professors and nurses and doctors and school teachers and all the skills that go with those professions. I see people who can fix anything, and the list goes on. We have a wonderful music staff, which is about to be expanded, and a wonderful choir for them to work with.
We have people who can act and sing and teach and lead and … And Grace has a leadership that is creative and energetic. In most churches the phrase “We’ve never done that before” means “We never will do that.” At Grace “We’ve never done that before” means: “Well let’s try it!” And the general diversity of Grace is a strength too. There are so many backgrounds and cultures and races and life experiences represented here to be the size church as we are.
Grace has been graced! I give thanks to God because of the grace that has been given to us! So let us be graceful about being graced. It would be so easy to say, “Look what we have done.” In a few weeks we will be burning yet another Mortgage and if all goes well we may be breaking ground before the end of the year. Let’s be sure that we don’t make the same mistake as the Corinthians. Let’s be sure we acknowledge that God is the source of all these blessings. Because if we are not graceful recipients we may forget to trust in God and find ourselves falling most ungracefully flat on our faces.
This is true on a personal level too. We have all been graced. I think we just don’t realize how blessed by grace we are. As residents of America we have so many blessings! I am not just talking about the freedoms and rights we exercise. The prosperity – when I think about all the advantages I had growing up in America I am amazed.
Just consider the plight of most people in the world. Things like food clothing and shelter along with medical care and electricity and heat, we take for granted. In many parts of the world they are luxuries or if present they are undependable. In this community we are blessed. People may complain about the schools in South Carolina being ranked 48th or 49th in the nation, but here in this area they are the best.
And personally, we all are blessed. To have family and friends and a church. The point is that as people who are graced we need to remember who gave us that grace. We are where we are because of the grace of God. And God is faithful and will not stop blessing us. He will strengthen us to the end. So let us gracefully acknowledge the source of our gifts. Let us give God the glory and place our trust in him!
Copyright 2008 Alex Stevenson. Used by permission.