Seeing the Face of Christ in Our Workplace--Thursday, March 22

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

¹⁰Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. ¹¹For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. ¹²What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." ¹³Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

My favorite parts of this passage come in the last two verses.  First, the parenthetical admission – Paul forgets exactly who he baptized, which reminds us he is human.  In making this little admission in the heart of his imploring letter to the arguing factions of Corinth, he also strengthens his point.  Paul’s call to proclaim the gospel comes from God not from Paul, just as the gifts of wisdom and knowledge prevalent in the Corinthian community at the time, come from God.  Effective use of that wisdom can come from remembering the shared source; a concept that leads people away from inflexible judgment that doesn’t listen or accommodate the views of others, and toward a society where each person’s gifts piece together into a graceful whole.  Second, Paul reminds us in the final statement that grace does not stem from our own attempt to adhere to doctrine, but in responding to what has already been so powerfully accomplished for us on the cross.  Conflicts face us daily that challenge our response.  In my work in the Everglades, it’s easy to find grace in the expanse of sawgrass, mangroves and beautiful shallow seas that occupy our Miami backyard.  But there are moments when grace seems elusive – like in the “us” and “them” conflicts of Everglades protection and restoration, or in those difficult moments with others that appear here and there at work.  Conflict is often rooted in uncertainty about the future, particularly about outcomes resulting from the actions of people whose motives might seem so different from our own.  When we acknowledge the certainty that God embraces each and every one of us with the exact same (them=us!) incredible, gracious gift that far exceeds the depths of human wisdom – well then elusive turns into effusive and our hearts and minds can be united in this overwhelming grace.

Evelyn Gaiser

For reflection:

When have you felt like “a vessel” of God’s grace as Paul did—proclaiming the gospel rather drawing attention to yourself?

When have you seen the power of the gospel bring reconciliation among dissenting individuals or groups?

What gifts result from all being “of the same mind” and “same purpose?”