For I received from the Lord what I passed on to you… (1 Corinthians 11:23).
He received,
and he gave.
How are you doing with that?
OK, so you’re not an apostle, but you have received from the Lord, ya?
Truth
Mercy
Grace
All these you have received.
Do you pass them on?
If so, well, good on you. Keep it up.
If not…
Today seems like a great day to start.
Happy Wednesday, Beloved
When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anyone else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for that? Certainly not! (1 Corinthians 11:20-22).
Again, they miss the point.
The early church celebrated Communion to honor the Lord. This was in the context of a love feast–essentially a church potluck. Everybody brought food, everybody shared, people enjoyed close fellowship. God was honored and his people were blessed.
Except sin and pride and gluttony and cliquiosity got in the way.
People got in their little groups, and the cool kids ignored the dweebs. The richies brought all kinds of wonderful food–and ate it themselves. The poor kids ate PBJs, or went hungry.
It was middle-school lunchtime at its worst.
Beloved, before we trash the Corinthians for their amazing lack of spirituality, let’s look in the mirror. What is church like for you? Is it a love feast, where all are welcome and boundaries are erased and all are equal and everyone ministers to everyone?
Or is it a middle school cafeteria?
Maybe it’s time to switch tables, Beloved.
Happy Tuesday
In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt you have to have differences among you to show which of you has God’s approval (1 Corinthians 11:18-19).
In case you missed it, Paul is not big on division in the Church.
He’s kinda mentioned that before.
Way back in Chapter 1, he chewed on the Corinthians for breaking into factions.
Remember, “I follow Paul…I follow Apollos…I follow Cephas”?
Apparently that was only one of the things they divided over.
But what about this second part, the “No doubt you have to have differences among you,” line? When I first read that, it sounded like Paul was approving of these divisions. But notice, Paul says that divisions were bound to happen, not that they were a good thing. The Corinthians keep missing the point of the Church, as we will see in the next passage. They are so far off the mark in so many areas that it’s a given that they would fracture, some groups closer to the truth, and some farther away.
Beloved, what causes division in your church? In your friendships or your family, for that matter? May I suggest that, more often than not, it comes down to pride?
Pride tells us that we are always correct, even when we’re not.
Pride tells us that there can be no compromise, because those who do not agree with us are wrong, and that’s that.
Except that is rarely ever that.
Pride makes mountains out of molehills, and builds strongholds on the flimsiest of foundations.
Pride is not of God.
“Blessed are those who quibble over minute points of doctrine they don’t even understand” is not in Scripture, but
“Blessed are the Peacemakers” is.
Happy Monday, Beloved
In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good (1 Corinthians 11:17).
I’ve been involved in church leadership a time or two over the years. I’ve helped design worship services, helped with the music or drama or teaching.
This is one of my worst fears.
Sunday morning service should be a time when believers are strengthened and deepened in their faith, where the children of God are brought closer to their Lord and to each other. But this is not what Paul saw in Corinth. Beloved, Paul is saying that going to church was actually pushing the Corinthians away from God, rather than drawing them near.
What was going on that was causing such trouble?
We’ll get into the specifics next week (sorry for the tease, but you can always read ahead if you want), but for today know this:
It’s a matter of the heart.
People’s hearts weren’t right with God, and that corrupted their worship.
Beloved, before you put on your Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes and head off to church this week, take a moment–or more–to examine your heart before the Lord. Let him help you get into the right frame of mind, so that, well, you don’t do more harm than good.
Happy Friday, Beloved.
In the following directives I have no praise for you…(1 Corinthians 11:17).
May I just say that this verse terrifies me?
I realize that this is Paul speaking, not the Lord himself, but Paul is inspired by God in his writing, so…
As a teacher I have always believed that you should lead with the positive. I will scour a student’s paper, looking for anything good to say about it before I drop the hammer. I’m pretty sure Paul understands this concept.
But this line is all hammer.
Beloved, before we even move into what has Paul so hammery, I suggest we take a moment, a la Psalm 139:
“Search me, oh God, and know my heart.”
Is there anything in your life right now that might spur God to say, “In this area I have no praise for you?” If so, perhaps now is the time to deal with it, hmm?
Happy Thursday, Beloved
Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice–nor do the churches of God (1 Corinthians 11:13-16).
OK, we’re almost done with hair.
Really
I promise.
Paul is wrapping this discussion up with a classic, “The answer is obvious” pitch, followed by the ever-effective, “That’s just how we do it” close.
Mic drop
All kidding aside, Paul is ready to move on, but he reiterates his argument that the long hair/short hair issue is based on creation itself. He points out that, for him, the matter is settled, and those under his authority will comply.
It may seem that Paul is getting awfully heated up about a minor thing, but we should remember that this issue had a lot of hidden and not-so-hidden meaning in Corinth. Remember the whole “meat sacrificed to idols” business from Chapters 9 and 10? Everything–including hairstyles–may be permissible, “but not everything is constructive.” “Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”
For the record, my wife has long and beautiful hair, while mine is short and dwindling.
Just saying
Happy Wednesday, Beloved
In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God (1 Corinthians 11:11-12).
I like Paul.
I’m sure he’s glad to know that.
Paul knew–certainly God knew– that some people would get worked up over the previous verses. Women would chafe under the mistaken inference that they were second-class citizens, and men would, well, be men and start mishandling their authority.
Which, you know, is pretty much what happens.
So Paul reminds us that men and women need each other. Neither would be here without the other, and we can’t do this life thing alone. Besides, God is the One who creates and sustains all things. He is our ultimate authority.
We need each other, Beloved. So take a deep breath and embrace the role God has given you.
Happy Tuesday
A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, a woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head (1 Corinthians 11:7-10).
I know some people would argue that all this hat/no hat business is just social convention, and really does not apply to us today.
Except there’s this part.
Paul is talking to a specific group of people in a particular place and time, but his reasoning goes back to Genesis. He uses the very order of creation to emphasize the need for women to be in submission to their husbands. It’s the same argument he uses in Ephesians 5, and it works.
Please refrain from hurling your electronic device against the wall.
So I say–and I could be so very wrong here–that the detail of head covering is culture-specific, but the bigger idea of respect and submission in the house of worship is timeless.
Oh, and the angel thing? I think Paul is pointing out that all Creation is watching…so don’t mess up.
Don’t hate me–I’m just the messenger.
Actually, please don’t hate anyone involved in this message. I don’t think that would end well.
Happy Monday, Beloved
Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head–it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head (1 Corinthians 11:5-6).
There are layers to this–haircut pun intended.
In the culture of Corinth, for a woman to go about with her head uncovered was a sign that she was…how shall we say this…a hoochie.
Well, it was.
So uncovering her head in public worship was the social equivalent of coming to church in fishnets and a micro skirt. It would be dishonoring to her husband and to God.
Again, it’s about respect and honor in worship.
Today we don’t worry overmuch about style of clothing in the worship service. Some folk like to dress up, and some keep it casual. Many would say–and rightly so–that God cares more about the condition of your heart than about the style of your clothes.
Of course, sometimes the style of your clothes reveals the condition of your heart.
Happy Friday, Beloved
Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head (1 Corinthians 11:4).
When my students enter my classroom, I expect them to remove their hats. There are practical reasons for this–like making sure they’re not wearing earbuds–but mainly it is a sign of respect. The military does this as well, also as a sign of respect.
Paul is commanding the same thing here, and for much the same reason.
From what I can tell, the “prays or prophesies” part or this verse is in reference to the public worship service. It could mean only the leaders, but seems to be best understood as referring to all the men in the congregation, who would be praying and worshiping together. As for the word translated “head,” well, it seems that the first use refers to the physical head, and the second to the spiritual head–Christ. So, a man who is worshiping in public with his head covered is dishonoring the very Lord he has come to honor.
Folks have a lot of ideas about what the head coverings Paul refers to were. Some say it referred to long hair, which was decidedly feminine in that culture. Others say Paul was talking about pulling their cloak up over their heads, which was a practice of those worshiping the pagan gods. Some say he meant the veiling of their heads, which was a practice of the Jews. Regardless of what exactly the Corinthians were doing, Paul’s point was clear. For a man to cover his physical head during the public worship service dishonored his spiritual head–Christ.
Beloved, most of our churches don’t have dress codes, and to be worried about what someone else was wearing would be, to us, a shallow thing.
But we are not they, and this is not then. Paul’s concern was that the people of God take their worship seriously, and approach the throne with a humble heart.
What of you, Beloved? Do you go to worship in reverence and respect, or…?
It’s not a dress code. It’s a heart code.
Happy Thursday, Beloved.