Posts Tagged ‘I Corinthians 3:10-14’
Choices That Endure – Br. David Vryhof
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Br. David Vryhof
I Corinthians 3:10-14, Matthew 6:19-24
The great spiritual leader of India, Mahatma Gandhi, once said, “We become what we yearn after. Hence the need for prayer.”[1] What could he have meant by this?
“We become what we yearn after” does not mean that we will get whatever we desire. I may yearn to become wealthy or popular or successful, but this is no guarantee that I will become any of those things. Read More
Building Strong and Storing Up Treasure – Br. David Vryhof
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Br. David Vryhof
I Corinthians 3:10-14
Matthew 6:19-24
When I was in seminary – now, quite a few years ago – I took a course in preaching. Whether or not it did me any good, I’ll let you decide. One of the things I remember from that class was the professor’s admonition to first seek out the tone and intention of the text, and then craft a sermon that reflects that same tone and intention. In other words, consider the author’s purpose and follow it. If the text is written to encourage its readers, your sermon should be encouraging as well. If the text is hopeful, your sermon should reflect that hope. If the text is condemning of a certain attitude or behavior, you should translate that into a similar warning that modern-day hearers can hear and understand.
The two texts we have before us today seem to share a common tone or intention. They seem to be cautioning us that our choices and our actions, our work and our personal interactions, have consequences that are long-lasting.
The first text, taken from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, uses the metaphor of building. Paul claims he has laid a foundation, which is Jesus Christ, and that others, including us today, will be building upon that foundation. What we say or do matters, because by our words and deeds we will be contributing to the strength of the building or detracting from it. Paul promises that each person’s work will, at some point, be tested by fire. If it is strong and pure, it will survive. If not, it will go up in flames. Read More