2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have the same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

Let us pray,

Living God, help us so to hear your holy Word that we may truly understand; that, understanding, we may believe, and believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking your honor and glory in all that we do; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

What does it mean to live a life of faith? This is the question we will be reflecting on. During this long stretch of Ordinary Time that lays before us. Ordinary Time is the period of time between Pentecost and Advent. Now that we know who Jesus is. And why Jesus matters. The church strives to apply the teachings of Jesus to our daily lives.

This summer I’ve decided to take a break from the Gospel texts and focus instead of the Epistle readings. Epistle is just a fancy word for letter. This week our text is a passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. In about the year 50 AD, Paul founded the church in Corinth, before moving on to Ephesus. While he was in Ephesus he heard rumors of the community in Corinth regarding jealousies, rivalries, and immoral behavior. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, Paul admonishes the church to do better. Paul’s second letter serves to reassure the church of God’s love for them.

In Chapter 4 of his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul makes an interesting argument. He argues that God demonstrates God’s power in choosing mere mortals to bear witness to divine glory. In raising Jesus from the dead, God demonstrated that God wants to redeem the bodies he created. Because of the resurrection, the Spirit of God can now indwell in the gathered community of believers. 

The really cool, amazing, mind-blowing good news of Jesus’ resurrection is that humanity now has hope. If God can redeem the worst hardship a human being has ever undergone. Than certainly God can use whatever hardship we’re going through for his glory. We have hope. Because we believe God is actively working to make all things new. Including the flimsy tents God choose for us to walk through the world with.

Paul wrote a second letter to the church in Corinth to remind them. The physical spaces you identify with. Spaces like your body, your home, your city, or even your social network. These spaces are not completely in your control. But you can take heart because the God who raised Jesus from the dead is with us always. Therefore we have hope.

The other day someone asked me what it means for me to be a Christian in this day and age. Like the early Christians in Corinth, I think the life of faith is figuring out how to be hopeful during challenging situations. Let me give you an example of what this could look like.

A couple of months ago, my aunt had to make the difficult decision to transition her mother into an assisted living care home. Her mother’s body is wasting away. Her dementia was making her aggressive and agitated. Simple things like getting dressed in the morning are now major productions. 

One night she fell on her way back from the bathroom. The next morning, my aunt wasn’t able to determine if she hurt herself in the fall. A trip to the orthopedic surgeon confirmed my aunt’s worst fears. It was time to give up some control of her mother’s care. And take her to a place where she could receive the care she needed.

I know this wasn’t an easy decision for my aunt. She had been caring for her mother’s dementia at home for the last seven years. But the time had come for her to give up some control and trust that God would use her mother’s new home to care for her mother. When I spoke with my aunt recently, she said this wasn’t what she wanted for her mother. But she is hopeful that her mother is where she needs to be to receive the care she needs.

I shared this example because I think it’s a good example of someone maintaining hope during a difficult situation. Friends it’s easy to be hopeful when everything is going our way. It’s also easy to catastrophize when things are not going the way we want them too. Both reactions show that we trust more in ourselves then we do in God. As Christians we are called to fight for a world where God vision for humanity flourishes. Not our own will.

As we all know, life doesn’t always work out the way that we planned. In those moments when life throws us a curveball. All we can control is our response. Do we respond in hope and in trust? Or do we respond in fear and anger?

Friends I imagine that for many of us the last year of our lives has not gone exactly according to plan. One thing I’m noticing through my work with our presbytery is that all churches are very anxious about the church’s future. Now that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, how is the church going to move forward? 

Friends however the church moves forward, the church must be rooted in hope that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is actively working in our lives and communities now. Our God is not just the God of the past. Or the God of the future. Our God is a God of the present. Even when we can’t see God. Even when we’re not sure what God is up to. God is alive, and God is in control. Therefore, we do not lose heart.

Thanks be to God,

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.