Springs Community Presbyterian Blog

John 21: Breakfast on the Beach

2010-04-10T11:57:00.002-04:00

The Text - John 21: 1 - 19
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." 6 He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

Questions for Reflection
1. What most captured your attention as your read the story? What questions do you have after reading it?

2. Are you surprised to find Peter and the other disciples fishing so soon after their encounters with the Risen Lord? Weren't they called to leave their nets behind? Is returning to their nets a sign of unfaithfulness of something else?

3. What do you make of Peter throwing clothes on before jumping into the sea?

4. John reports that the net was full of exactly 153 fish...why 153?

5. To whom do you believe the ministry of shepherding is entrusted? Does Jesus' charge to Peter to feed and tend his sheep pertain particularly to those who exercise leadership role within the church an dhave special responsibility for its life? Or does it apply to all disciples, in your view?

6. What, specifically, do you think the tasks of feeding and tending Jesus' sheep entail?

7. Why do you think Peter asks about the beloved disciples' destiny? What significance does Jesus' response to this inquiry have for your own discipleship?

8. How would you describe your own vocation in ministry? Where has Jesus led you?

9. With whom do you most identify in this chapter and why?

***********
Source: Gench, Frances Taylor. "Encounters with Jesus: Studies in the Gospel of John". Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, KY; 2007, pgs. 152-153

First Thoughts and Questions - Transfiguration of the Lord

2010-02-06T09:00:00.003-05:00

The Transfiguration of the Lord - Luke 9: 28 - 36

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"-- not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

It's been a very busy week, so at this point I have more questions that observations....

What is the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing atop of 'the mountain' with Jesus?

I'm reminded of the Exodus stories where Moses came down from meeting with Lord atop Mt. Sinai and his face shown so brightly the people asked him to cover it. I'm wondering if there is a connection between Jesus glowing white and Moses' glowing face....

I was intrigued by Luke's use of the phrase, 'his departure' as the topic of conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. I did a little word study and discovered what the NRSV translates as 'departure' is the same word used in the Septuigant (Greek Old Testament) to translate the Hebrew word for Exodus into Greek. How is the story and its interpretation enhanced by this translation detail? What does it mean to speak of Jesus' Exodus (as opposed to Moses')? Who was freed? From what? For What?

The cloud and the voice in this passage bring us back to Jesus' baptism. Why is this affirmation from the heavenly voice repeated at this point?

At first, the disciples are presented as 'weighed down with sleep'. I'm fairly certain this is another example of loaded word choice. Any ideas about the significance of this phrase?

Peter seems to interrupt the meeting that is taking place atop the mountains with his suggestion that three dwellings be made there, one for each of them. Why do you think Peter suggests this? Is he hoping to prolong the experience?

That should be enough to get the conversation started!

--Pastor Tony

Sermon - As In A Mirror Dimly

2010-01-31T07:45:00.002-05:00

As In a Mirror Dimly...
A Sermon by Anthony L. Larson
January 31, 2010

Scripture Texts
I Corinthians 13

There was a farmer who owned only one horse. He depended on the horse for everything; to pull the plow, to draw the wagon. One day a bee stung the horse, and in fright the horse ran away into the mountains. The farmer searched for him but couldn't find him. His neighbors said, "We are really sorry about your bad luck in losing your horse." But the old farmer shrugged and said, "Bad luck, good luck -- who is to say?"

A week later his horse came back, accompanied by twelve wild horses, which he had obviously encountered, and the old farmer was able to corral all these fine animals. News spread throughout the village, and his neighbors came and said, "Congratulations on this bonanza out of the sky." To which the old man once again shrugged and said, "Good luck, bad luck -- who is to say?"

The only son of the farmer decided to make the most of this good fortune, so he started to break the wild horses so they could be sold and put to work in the fields. But as he attempted to do this, he got thrown from one of the horses, and his leg was broken in three places. When word of this accident spread through the village, again the neighbors came saying, "We are sorry about the bad luck of your son getting hurt." The old man shrugged and said, "Bad luck, good luck -- who is to say?"

Two weeks later a war broke out among the provinces in China. The army came through conscripting every able-bodied male under fifty. Because the son was injured, he did not have to go, and it turned out to save his life, for everyone in the village who was drafted was killed in the battle.

This ancient Chinese story is a wisdom parable, it asserts that there is always more going on in any situation than we can see. Final judgment on the value of any event must be left to God. Because from where we sit, we are in no position to say.

There is a wonderfully vivid story from the Christian tradition that makes the point compellingly as well. It is the crisis-filled story of the sons of Jacob -- Joseph and his brothers who sold him into slavery. You remember how it was that Joseph had evoked his brothers' jealousy and they threw him in a pit and then sold him into slavery. He was taken from Canaan to Egypt, and interpreted the Pharaoh's dreams and won Pharaoh's favor and was given a position of power and authority. His brothers came to Egypt asking for food because there was a terrible famine in their homeland. Later, after the death of Jacob, the brothers, awash with regret, fell down before Joseph, the great leader of Egypt, and wept saying, "We are here as your slaves." But Joseph said, "Am I in the place of God? Though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as God is doing today." Think about it. If his brothers had not sold him into slavery, his family -- indeed, the Hebrew people -- might have perished. (See note 1)

Who is to say how a thing will ultimately turn out, and what effect, through the grace of God, even terrible events can have upon the future?

The letter from the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth that we call first Corinthians is a guided tour through a church in a state of deep conflict. At the start of his letter Paul tells them, "it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you" (I Cor. 1:11a). Later he references letters and reports sent to him from the Corinthian congregation. The depth and breadth of the conflicts in Corinth has been sufficient material for several books. I offer you a brief overview:

First, Paul was not the only Christian evangelist operating in the Greek colonies of the Roman Empire. Another evangelist named Apollos had visited the Corinthian congregation, also representatives from the predominately Jewish-Christian church in Jerusalem headed by Peter had also visited the Corinthians. These visitors challenged Paul's teachings to the Corinthians on several points, particularly with regard to ethical and moral behaviors consistent with the Christian life...or to put in more simply their lists of what things were and were not permissible for Christians to do differed from Paul's list. As a result the Corinthian church is divided between those who stand with Paul, those who are following Apollos, and those who are claiming affinity with Peter and the Jerusalem church.

As to the particular ethical and moral issues dividing the church...they were numerous - sexual impropriety, idol worship, the wealthy versus the common folks, worship practices and attire...and this list could go on. But what seems most disturbing to Paul is that although the Holy Spirit had richly gifted the members of gifts with a multitude and variety of gifts for the growth and nurture of the church and the proclamation of the gospel - the members had taken to fighting openly among themselves about who's God given gifts were the first, the best, and the deserving of the most honor. In particular some members were experiencing prophetic speech through the Holy Spirit in worship which was unintelligible to most or even all worshippers. And these worshippers who had received the gift of prophetic tongues were claiming prominence, prestige, and power as a result of their gifts. And arguing for first place in importance were those Corinthians Christians who had the gift of interpreting the prophetic speech claiming that their gift was greater that the speech itself because they made it intelligible to the church. Then the preachers, and the evangelists, and deacons began making assertions about the prominence of their gifts....and before long body of Christ was at risk of amputating itself over which spiritual gift was the greatest.

Paul addresses the disturbing reports he has received and responds to their questions with frankness; and if there were all Paul had done his letter would still be of immense value to the church. But amid the admonitions, clarifications, and guidelines Paul offers three sermons on different themes of the Christian life - faith, hope, and love. Chapter twelve is Paul's teaching on gifts of the Holy Spirit, chapter 14 deals directly with the gift of prophetic speech, and in between comes the thirteenth chapter...Paul's sermon on Christian love.

It is familiar to most people, even those who do not read the Bible or attend church because of its frequent use in weddings and funerals - even Hollywood versions of weddings and funerals. Paul's little sermon on love works well in those settings, but today I want us to remember that it was written to a as instruction for Christian life to a church deeply divided by conflict.

Paul tells the Corinthians who are speaking in tongues - that it does not matter how many languages they can speak, if the Holy Spirit has not gifted them to love, even if they speak in the language of the angels they are merely making intolerable noise. Paul tells the Corinthians who are interpreting tongues that even if they understand all the mysteries of the world and have been granted sufficient faith to move mountains - if the Holy Spirit has not gifted them to love - they are of no use to the church. Paul tells the affluent Corinthians that even if they give every last dime of their fortunes and possessions to the church, if they Holy Spirit has not gifted them to love they have done nothing. In short, Paul tells the church - the Corinthian church of his time - and the whole of Christendom in ours - that the greatest gift the Holy Spirit can give is love.
And let's be clear about love. When Paul writes to the church, "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends," (1 Cor 13:4 - 8a) he is not speaking principally of the love we hear about in songs, read about in books, recognize and bring into covenant at weddings, or talk in everyday life when we exclaim about our things in life, "I just love...whatever it is." When Paul teaches the church concerning the gift of love he talk about more than the warm feeling one has toward someone or something. "The love of which Paul speaks is more than that emotion extolled in Hallmark-speak as 'the feeling you feel when you feel you're going to feel a feeling you never felt before.' Love in the entirety of our scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, it not just something you feel; far more, it is something you do." (See note 2)

Love is what God through Jesus Christ in Bethlehem and in Nazareth; in Cana and Capernaum; in Gethsemane and on Golgotha; in an upper room and in an empty tomb.

"Love is what we are called to do, redefined by Jesus' own act of self-giving love. Love seeks the well-being of others and is expressed in concrete efforts on their behalf. In the Church, love can be commanded. Love is something we do, regardless of how we feel; thus, it may come as a relief to know that we don't have to like everybody - we just have to love them." (See note 2)

Henri Nouwen, a wise pastor and writer observed that, "if we wait for a feeling of love before loving, we may never learn to love well...mostly we know what the loving thing to do is. When we 'do' love, even if others are not able to respond with love, we will discover that our feelings catch up with our acts."

But even if our feelings never catch up - Paul offers absolute clarity about one thing, "as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end." Whatever gifts we have, whatever we think we can do, whatever we think we know, whatever we manage to possess and accumulate - all of it will come to end.

Mirrors were rather crude instruments in Paul's day, polished and tinned bronze could only be rendered so reflective. Although our mirror technology has improved vastly, our ability to see and understand all that is going in any given situation in a world where all things are to one degree or another fleeting has not improved.

So what endures? What abides deep in our souls and lives on beyond our numbered days - faith, hope, and love these three abide and the greatest of these is love. what Christ commands the church and what Paul reminds them is that since we cannot see all ends, we can never know all the consequences of our actions, we cannot be trusted to make distinction between ourselves, between whose gifts are greater and whose are lesser, between who is deserving of our loving actions and who is not. Christ calls upon us to do the loving thing for our friends, families, coworkers, neighbors, and even our enemies in all situations trusting that whenever we act in love through the power of the Holy Spirit, God can be trusted to bring forth good things.

Yesterday at the Presbytery meeting we were told of a Presbyterian grade school that has been reopened in Pakistan. The missionary who is serving as administrator of the school had a prominent Shiite Muslim leader walk into her office. He told the missionary that he wanted he daughter to be enrolled in classes at the school because it was the only school that accepted girls. He also told her that he had no intention of paying tuition, he wanted his daughter to have an education but it wasn't worth paying for. The missionary was understandably nervous, the man was known to run with a tough crowd and she had legitimate concerns about the risks she might put her school and students at if the man was to disapprove of the education his daughter received at the school. She prayed about it, and ultimately she discerned that the loving thing to do was to follow Christ's great commission, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded," and she admitted the girl to the school and waived her tuition.

Some months later the Shiite man had invited others to his home and together they were plotting an attack on a group of Sunni Muslims. His daughter overheard their plans and barged into the room, she told her father and the other men that her teacher would be very upset with them for making these plans, she yelled at them that at her school they teach her to respect others, to help others, and to turn away from violence.

The man called off the attack. A few days later he went back to the missionaries office at the school and told relayed to her what had happened. He also enrolled his two other daughters in the school, and this time he paid their tuition.

"For now we see in a mirror, dimly..." there is always more going on in any situation than we can see. Final judgment on the value of any event must be left to God. Because from where we sit, we are in no position to say. But this we can trust, "faith, hope and love abide, these three, and the greatest of these is love."

*****

Notes:
1. The introductory Chinese widsdom story was attributed to Episcopal Priest, John Claypool, in a published sermon by Rev. Joanna Adams retired pastor of the Morningside Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA. The fine summary of the Joseph story can also be credited to her.

2. The portions in quotations are borrowed from Frances Taylor Gench, professor of New Testamaent Biblical Studies at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA. These observations are found in her new book Faithful Disagreement: Wrestling with Scripture in the Midst of Church Conflict. Westminster John Knox Press, p. 107.

First Thoughts & Questions for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2010-01-28T08:03:00.000-05:00

Introduction

Threee of the four lessons appointed for this Sunday deal directly with call. In the Hebrew Scripture lesson we read of Isaiah's call to serve as prophet to the people of God; in the Gospel Of Luke we hear how Jesus invited four fishermen to leave everything and follow him after filling their nets with a ship-sinking catch of fish; and in the Epistle lesson we hear Paul both explaining and defending his call to serve as an Apostle to the Corinthian church. So it seems that our focus in study and worship this week will center around questions of what it means to be called by God.

Isaiah 6: 1 - 8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filed the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!"

First Thoughts and Questions

Picturing the scene Isaiah is more frightful than comforting...

I wonder what was going through Isaiah's mind as the seraph flew towards him with a "live coal" from God's altar? What would you be thinking in that moment?

The event is dated to "the year that King Uzziah died." I am curious to know more about King Uzziah and what his death meant for his kingdom and for the one who was to be called as God's prophet.

I am reminded that heat has frequently been used as a means of cleansing and purification. Do we "feel the heat" as we are called to confession and make our corporate and private prayers of confession at home and in worship?

Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord saying, and he responds, "Here I am, send me." Isaiah agrees to the call without knowing the details. In a world that is governed by credentials, certifications, mission statements, 1, 3, 5, and 10 years plans, position description, quality control inspections, and cost-benefit analysis' - I wonder - as Christians are we attuned to hearing the voice of the Lord and have we been prepared to respond as Isaiah did?'

Luke 5: 1 - 11

Once while Jesus was standing besides the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of htem and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees , saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afriad; from now on you wil be catching people." When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

First Thoughts and Questions

In our culture of celebrity fascination I am struck by how Jesus creates the first century version of a crows control barricades and bodyguards when he comandeers Simon Peter's fishing boat to put some distance between himself and the gathering crowds and proceeds to teach the crowd onshore from the boat. Of course, Jesus is much more than a 1st century celebrity, and yet, I do find it intriguing that he ultimately calls as his first disciples the fishermen whose boat he boarded and not anyone from the crowd that had been pressing in on him. Why do you think this is?

Luke tells us that the crowd in chapter 5 was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God. However, following the first miracles recorded by Luke at the end of Chapter 4 (see Luke 4: 31-41) I wonder if Jesus knew that the crowds were pressing in on him because they wanted a miracle for themselves? I wonder if once Jesus had put some physical space between himself and the crowds and sat down to teach them if one-by-one and two-by-two they slipped away until there were none left, "when he finished speaking", none left except the fishermen. Are we suceptible to this too? Do we walk away from prayer when we feel our prayers are not answered quickly enough, or answered in the way we want them to be?

Next, I am intriguied by Jesus' instruction to the fishermen to put out into "the deep water." The Jewish people of the 1st century were not a sea going people. They had an deep distrust of water, they preferred to stick close to the shore. It is worth nothing that in the Creation account of Genesis 1, the chaos of the creation yet unformed is described in this way, "the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters" (Gen 1:2). Waters were present in that dark, chaotic void to which God brings light and order. As the Creation account continues God will divide the waters that are above the dome of the earth from those below (Jewish cosmology of this time depicted the earth as a chamber or bubble of order surrounded by waters of chaos). God will relegate the waters of the earth to their proper place so that the dry land may appear. It is not a coincidence that in account of Noah and the Great Flood (Gen. 6 - 9) it is through water that God chooses to destroy the earth, God merely opens to gate that holds back the chaotic primodial waters. Familiar gospel stories of Jesus rebuking storms on the sea of Galilee clue us in that the waters of seas and lakes in Israel could go from peaceful to treacherous on short notice as storms swept down upon the waters....

When Jesus invites the fishermen to head out into 'the deep water' he is pushing them outside of their comfort zone. He is instructing and inviting them to go out beyond the place where they have control. Dare we wonder - what 'deep water' is God me go to? Where does God want me to cast my nets? What would a super-abundant catch look like in those waters? What might those waters be for our Springs Presbyterian community?

Finally, a few other questions...

1) What do we make of Simon Peter's reaction to the miracle? He kneels before Jesus and exclaims, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" I think Simon Peter's reaction can be read in at least two ways. a) Go away from me for I am too sinful to be worthy of experiencing the holiness I percieve in you; or b) Go away because I am sinful and I do not wish to be confronted with my sin. How do you understand Peter's exclamation?

2) In economic terms the catch of these fisherman is equivalent to winning a lottery jackpot in our day and age. They had caught so many fish it was tearing their nets and causing both of the boats to sink. Yet after bringing their boats to the shore, all four of the fishermen walk away from it all - their boats, their nets, the fish, and their families. What does Jesus ask us to leave behind if we are to follow him?

I Corinthians 15: 1 - 11

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you - unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appreated to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit ot be called an apostle, becuase I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them - though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. whether that it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

First Thoughts and Questions

It seems to me that the legal mind of Paul the Pharisee is on display here. We know that the Corinthian congregation he established has hit some rough spots since Paul left them. Here Paul is laying out an argument. He begins by reminding them that of the Gospel, the good news, that heart of Christian faith - 1. Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; 2. Christ was buried; 3. Christ was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; 4. The resurrected Christ appeared to Cephas (Peter), to the twelve, to crowds, to the apostles, and finally Paul insists - the resurected Christ appeared also to me!

Three routes of interpretation occer to me on a first reading...

1) Those who are cynical and suspicious of Paul will no doubt (and probably justifiably) see Paul's reminder to the Corinthians of his encounter with the resurrected Christ as a claim to apostolic authority. The resurrected Christ appeared to me! It's hard to read some of this when he then goes on to claim that he has worked harder in service of the gospel than any of the other apostles.

2) These first eleven verses are actually not the culmination of Paul's full argument in chapter 15, they are just the warm-up. 1 Cor 15: 12 - 58 are a prolonged defense of a critical teaching of the Christian faith - then and now - the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the dead in Christ. It appears that some members of the Corinthian congregation had been suggesting, teaching, or preaching that there was no resurrection. Paul challenges this head-on by asserting that he himself has seen the risen Christ, he then goes on with passion to describe the importance of the ressurection for Christian life and hope.

3) After asserting that the resurrected Christ appeared to him, Paul then reminds the Corinthians of his own past - that he was the greatest persecuter of the church. I think it is possible to read Pauls exclamation - he appeared also to me! - in this way....The risen Christ appeared also to me, even me, the most unworthy, the most sinful, the one striving the most vigorously against the Gospel. If the risen Christ appeared to me, called me to ministry and service - what possible barrer could there be to prevent him from appearing to you?

Which of these readings (or what combination of these readgins) of Paul's argument seems most on helpful or on-track to you? Can you percieve another way of understanding Paul's communication to the Corinthians? What is Paul's message for our Church today?