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And so the Spirit Speaks

Earlier today, February 21st, I opened my Daily Office book for an inspiration for me to "share the message" as my Baptist brother calls the role of preaching for our Wednesday morning joint worship event with Oxford Circle Baptist Church; I call it preaching.

I opened to the reading for today and found 1 Corinthians 2:1-13, which I've printed a portion of below. After a long day, the reading kept haunting me, as the Scripture is known to do. I opened the Mission St. Claire website and they had published the wrong lesson, 1 Cor 1:1-13, which I have never found them to do before today. So, what was the Spirit trying to convey to me? I think it means that the Spirit wants me to pay extra attention to today's lesson(s.) 

I have been following posts on the Facebook site of the Third Order Franciscans for years. I have the pleasure of working with a Third Order Franciscan and so I sought out the group. There has been a running discussion over the past few days about St. Francis' preaching and whether or not it was to the birds, maybe a shout out to God's creation or to Christians to "build the church." I think it also could have been both.

It was pointed out that folks don't listen; I think folks do and they crave true wisdom, not maybe in carefully crafted words, but in ways which demonstrate the Christ in us. What I guess I am trying to say is that when one encounters those rare folks who seem to have the very heart of Christ, they will preach a sermon more relevant than even the most eloquent and carefully crafted essay.

I, Jonathan Clodfelter, wonder why, given this specific and timely example from the Apostle, we church people do anything but what God commanded. Why do we belittle ourselves with the cause célèbre or the political discourse that is sure to take up all of our days, when God, as the only true authority has told us to share Christ and Christ Crucified. That is all we need to be about, and yet, we involve ourselves with all kinds of tom-foolery. Why is that?

I think the answer comes to us from the garden, not the one with dew on the roses, but the one with the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle. We humans seek to educate ourselves out of doing that which God has called us to do. We are not here, called by God, to promote the safe advance of the business of the church; no, we are here to stand in the muck and mire and point to Jesus as the redeemer of the world.
Proclaiming Christ Crucified
2 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.   1 Cor 2:1-5 (NRSV)


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