Daily Readings - Mon Sep 05 2022
1 Corinthians
1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife.2And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.3For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.4When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,5you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?7Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.8Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Luke
6On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.7And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.8But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there.9And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?"10And after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored.11But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the balance between upholding moral standards and showing compassion. In the first reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses a grave moral failing within the Corinthian community—a case of incest that has gone unaddressed. He calls for the community to act decisively, not out of malice, but to preserve the spiritual health of the Body of Christ. He warns that sin, like leaven, can spread and corrupt the entire community if not addressed. This passage emphasizes the importance of accountability and the need to root out sin, not to punish, but to restore and protect the integrity of the community.
In the Gospel, Luke presents a complementary perspective. Jesus, faced with a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, challenges the Pharisees’ rigid adherence to the law. While the Pharisees are focused on whether healing on the Sabbath is lawful, Jesus asks a deeper question: “Is it lawful to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath?” By healing the man, Jesus demonstrates that compassion and the restoration of human dignity must take precedence over legalistic interpretations of the law. This passage reminds us that our faith is not about rules for their own sake, but about living out God’s love and mercy in the world.
Together, these readings call us to discern when to stand firm against sin and when to show compassion. In our daily lives, we are often faced with similar tensions—between judgment and mercy, between accountability and forgiveness. The readings remind us that true holiness is not about self-righteousness or legalism, but about living in a way that reflects God’s love and justice. May we strive to be communities that both uphold the truth and embody the compassion of Christ, allowing His love to transform us and guide us in all we do.