Daily Readings - Tue Sep 11 2018

¹When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?²Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?³Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!⁴So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?⁵I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,⁶but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?⁷To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?⁸But you yourselves wrong and defraud--even your own brothers!⁹Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.¹¹And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Luke

Chapter 6

¹²In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.¹³And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:¹⁴Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,¹⁵and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,¹⁶and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.¹⁷And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon,¹⁸who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.¹⁹And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we are reminded of the importance of living as children of light and the transformative power of God’s grace in our lives. The first reading from 1 Corinthians challenges us to reflect on how we handle conflicts and disputes. Paul is distressed that the Corinthians are taking their disagreements to secular courts rather than resolving them within the community of faith. He reminds them that as believers, we are called to live according to a higher standard, one that reflects the wisdom and justice of God. Paul also lists various vices that exclude people from the kingdom of God, but he quickly adds that some of the Corinthians once lived in such ways—until they were washed clean, sanctified, and justified in Christ. This is a powerful reminder that our past does not define us; it is through Christ that we are made new. The Gospel reading from Luke shifts our focus to Jesus’ ministry. After a night of prayer, Jesus selects the Twelve Apostles, entrusting them with a special mission. This moment highlights the importance of prayer in discerning God’s will and the significance of community in carrying out God’s work. When Jesus descends to the crowd, he heals the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. The people are drawn to him because they sense the power of God at work in him. This scene invites us to reflect on our own relationship with Jesus. Do we turn to him in times of need? Do we trust in his power to heal and transform us? Both readings call us to live as people of faith and integrity. In our daily lives, we are to resolve conflicts in a way that reflects the love and justice of God. We are to trust in his power to transform us and to use us for his purposes. Let us ask ourselves: Are we living as children of light, or are we still walking in darkness? Do we turn to God in prayer when faced with decisions or challenges? May we, like the Corinthians, allow the grace of God to transform us, and may we, like the apostles, be willing to follow Jesus wherever he leads.