I’m starting a series on the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians. We are in a transition from our 55 year old church site (30+ year old building) to our new church building. Transitioning because the new building isn’t finished… and won’t be for a few months. So we’re meeting in the Christian School. A big gym… which doesn’t carry sound well. But has a nice kitchen… and a playground… with a mudding parking lot… and takes longer to drive to. But I’m diverging.

Ever since taking a course on 1 Corinthians with Dr. Nancy Calvert-Koyzis, I’ve wanted to work through this book in a sermon series. So I thought this time would be as good as any. When I sat down a couple of weeks ago and worked out the texts that I wanted to preach on (I’ve done a couple of them already) they worked out in such a way that there is no gap between that and the beginning of Advent.

Now truth be told, I’ve been secretly planning a Rev. Fred Bultman thing. When Fred turned 50, it was a Sunday. And so he preached on the year of Jubilee. I’m not turning 50… but I will be turning 40… on a Sunday in September. So I’ve been thinking about a text. Moses and his 40/40/40 year thing. The Israelites wandering the desert for 40 years. The 40 years that David was king. Then I pondered 40 days of Jesus in the desert. The 40 days and nights it rained on the ark. In the end I went with Exodus 16 and 40 years of the same old breakfast and supper… a lesson to be learned for every person who has a mom and wife to feed you. A lasting tribute to my mom and my wife – both of whom would be present for this service.

But (and this is where God kicks in big time!) I get a message the other day telling me I need to help out by preaching in a “local” church within our classis since they are without a minister. So on October 5, I have to travel to and preach in Burdett, AB. Now I’m short a Sunday for sermons on 1 Corinthians… what do I do. Take one out? Forge a couple together? Forget the opening of Advent? Not go on my education week? Skip the birthday sermon? There you go… it was a lame, selfish thing anyway. More like going out on a whim. It wasn’t meant to be. So my birthday sermon will be on 1 Cor 3, titled at this point “Divisional Labour.” But that will likely change.

1 Cor 1:1-2:5 – this is a loaded beginning. So much to preach on. The opening lines providing Paul’s authority. The call to be together in Christ that leads up to the greeting. The prayer which outlines the themes of the letter. The exhortation on factions and divisions. Christ crucified. Flag waving and following your man. More on Christ crucified.

Originally I was going to go with Christ crucified. Easy theme. Foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews. But this is where it ends in the letter. It comes up here and that’s all. 1 Corinthians is a letter about divisions in the church. Problems in the church. How to do pastoral care in the church. Working together in the church. Loving in the church. Marriage in the church. The return of Christ for those in the church. The letter is not about those outside the church – the Jews and Greeks. They will look at those in the church and make a lasting judgment on their one look… even if it is only a glance.

I believe the primary reason for the letter is to clear up the divisions/factions/schisms within the church so that when the Jews and Greeks look at the Corinthian – and every other Christian – church, they will see a group with divergent views united together for a common cause holding one another up in the Christian love.

There you go… my sermon is done. Maybe I’ll print this off and be done. Can’t though. Because the division/schism thing is individual to each congregation and I’m not going to broadcast that around. You’ll have to hear it on Sunday… in an encouraging way. Every church has this stuff. It isn’t limited to one church or one denomination. Divisions and schisms find their source in The Reformation… and even further back to 1012 and even to the Corinthian church. But our hope is that Christ will return soon to gather His “One Holy Catholic Church” into the big Church that will be the New Kingdom here on earth. Come Lord Jesus, Come!