“Not everyone”
Meditation – Saturday, October 9, 2021 by Rev. Michael Stonhouse
1 Corinthians 12:27 – 13:3 (Forward, p. 72) CEV p. 1199
This one phrase, ‘not everyone’, seems to be almost like some mantra in today’s passage. In my present translation, the Contemporary English Version, it shows up seven times and it implied other times as well. Here is talking about God’s distribution of gifts and how God apportions them out as He sees fit. In other words, it is God’s decision alone, and for reasons of His own choosing. That is, it is not necessarily based on anything we say or do, or even on account of our character or who we are. It is God’s sovereign choice. And so, there is absolutely no room for boosting or for a false or inflated pride. Indeed, the variant reading of 1 Corinthians 13:3 reads ‘in order to boast’, which certainly seems to adhere well to the general tenor of much of the behaviour of those in the Corinthian church. So, boasting, bragging, is out of the question. What is in the question is simply that we love each other, and that we use these precious, God-given gifts in ways that express that love, and that do so in practical, tangible ways. Not everyone has these particular gifts, but everyone, every one of us, can love, which is far, far better. Amen.
Forward notes: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (chapter 12:27).
“As my fifty-first birthday drew near, I decided that I would celebrate by doing special things for the special people in my life. One of these people was an admirable woman, a ‘spiritual daughter’ of sorts who recently had lost a son, a victim of the crime wave that we’re experiencing here.
“She told me about life without ‘her most precious jewel’ (as she called him). When the pandemic began, the only place that was open was a small shop where we sat facing the wide sea. ‘I come here to speak with God, to talk to my son, and to cry,’ she told me, ‘because I need to cry’.
“I cried with her, and I stayed with her until night fell. ‘Let’s go,’ she said. She looked at the sea, and, as if her son were there, she blew a kiss to the wind, and we hugged, drying each other’s tears.
“As soon as I can, I will meet with her again.”
MOVING FORWARD: “Is someone in your life experiencing great sadness? How can you help carry the load?”
