February 12                                                  1 Corinthians 1:  20-31: Mark 1:  14-28

 

 

Paul’s message in 1 Corinthians 1 actually ties in well with Mark 1.  In the first, Paul is admonishing the Corinthians (and us) to be careful about being too involved in our intellects without regarding the spirit in us.  Human wisdom, probably a good thing in its own realm, really isn’t the answer to our society’s problems.  As we become open to God’s power, we begin to understand and see that the issues and complexities of life are not under our human control.  “The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”  Our best is not even close to God’s worst.  That’s how much greater than all of us He is!  And then in Mark 1, where Jesus chose two fishermen to follow Him, was God reaching out to the non-intellectual, the salt of the earth, those “with their feet on the ground”?  Was this one of Jesus’ many examples of reaching out to the less fortunate as an example for the “high and mighty”?  The choice the disciples made to drop everything and go with Jesus was a life changing decision – not just an exploration of philosophy, not a turning back commitment.  As we choose to follow Christ, Jesus does not call or speak to what’s in our heads, but to what’s in our hearts, to where we might put our feet.  It’s more about our walk of faith than our talk of faith.  Jesus reaches out to us to follow him, as he did the disciples, as people in whom and through whom God is working.

 

We sometimes feel we don’t have the qualifications for such a calling – that’s why we have each other.  That’s why we have communities of Christians.  That’s why a diverse group – teachers, students, technicians, fire fighters, musicians, cooks, office workers, laborers, preachers, young, old and in between -  is planning to go to Back Bay in April.  We hope that Jesus’ message to love, support, help, guide, live faith through the heart and body, not just the mind, will bring His comfort, love and support to those so much more in need than ourselves.

 

We pray He will work through us - just like Jesus asked long ago of Peter and Andrew.  

 

 

~ Joan Aldridge