1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, (1 Corinthians 1:1)
As I write this reflection, I cannot help but also listen to the news flooding our media about the decision by President Biden not to run for President again this Fall. Letters are flowing in to the news as we listen to hear all the opinions about this move, affirmations of the presidency of Biden, and opinions as to what the road forward is for the Democrats. I kind of wonder if the birth of Christianity shortly after the resurrection was not a similar cultural debate. We forget that in those early days, Judaism was the dominant faith system in Israel. You were Jewish or Gentile. There was no Christian church. What we call “the church,” was an emerging dynamic. Followers of Jesus did not debate about how to handle immigration but there were heated debates about whether a person had to become Jewish and be circumcised to be a follower of Jesus. How were non-Jews to be incorporated? There were no denominational centers and financial challenges were facing small groups and reps were being sent with financial donations. Was a follower allowed to eat sacrificial offerings of meat sold in the market? What are the expectations about marriage? Even as we listen to the presidential candidates present their platforms, writers like Paul, Peter and James wrote into the early church.
One of the formative voices in this process about what “faith” should look like was Paul. Paul spoke into all the questions swirling among the groups of believers forming around the Mediterranean. There was no formal Biblical scripture as we know it today, only the Old Testament. There was no television to let the church in Rome know what the church in Jerusalem was thinking. Paul made “missionary journeys” walking around the Middle East training, updating, and establishing leadership. He wrote letters, we sometimes call epistles, to young groups.
Corinthians is one of those letters that was circulating and which was chosen as inspired for the New Testament. Paul was writing to the church in Corinth. We will see Paul tackle many of these nitty gritty issues being debated. Paul could speak into these issues because he was raised with Jewish identity and Roman identity. His name was Saul. He was trained as a Pharisee. He persecuted early Christians and through a spiritual experience, encounter the risen Christ and was converted. He changed his name from Saul to Paul.
Paul introduces himself as an “apostle,” a sent one. He is claiming to be an authoritative messenger speaking to the Corinthians. He is writing to Sosthenes, the leader of the believers in Corinth. Corinth was a commercial center of commerce near Greece. Paul spent a lot of time in his two letters to the Corinthians talking about issues. They are issues common to us today.. Paul is writing to his friends, addressing issues in the group of believers there.
So let us sit back and think how this applies to our lives. If I were to write a letter to a granddaughter or a dear friend about the struggles that person is going through, how would I open and identify myself? Paul opened, “Paul, an apostle…”. How would you open your letter? What title might you give yourself that would convey your felt need to write? Blessings as you ponder your status in the faith system and who you would like to share with today.
On the Way to Wonder 