31 Days of Prayer: DAY 9
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FOCUS VERSE: “But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong.” — 1 Corinthians 1:27 |
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PRAYER OF PRESENCE: |
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SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 |
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HYMN FOR REFLECTION: O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done
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REFLECTION: Our oldest daughter and I share a fascination for Greek mythology. I don’t quite remember when or why I started to explore the world of Zeus and the Olympians, but for Sueli, her fascination began in elementary school with Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. The idea of a world where gods and mortals interact, where heroes fight monsters and embark on impossible quests, captured her imagination. There’s something undeniably captivating about those myths—the grandeur, the drama, the sheer power of the gods. It’s no surprise that the people of ancient Corinth were also captivated by these myths. For them, Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and the other gods were more than just stories; they were symbols of power, wisdom, and divine might. Corinth’s temples to Apollo, Poseidon, and Aphrodite stood as daily reminders of a worldview where strength, beauty, and cleverness were celebrated. To the Corinthians, power meant the thunderbolts of Zeus, the cunning of Athena, and the irresistible allure of Aphrodite. Gods were larger-than-life beings who wielded their power openly, often dramatically, and sometimes destructively. Into this culture steeped in mythology, Paul brought a radically different message: the cross of Christ. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 must have sounded almost absurd to his Corinthian audience. He wrote, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (v. 18). Imagine how strange this would have seemed to a people who associated power with the thunderbolts of Zeus or the unstoppable wrath of Poseidon. The cross—a symbol of execution, humiliation, and weakness—was the very opposite of what they understood as divine power. Paul turns their understanding of power on its head. He writes that “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (v. 27). The cross is not about dominance or cleverness or even glory as they understood it. Instead, it reveals a God who uses what is despised by the world to bring about salvation—a God who embraces weakness to display ultimate strength. For the Corinthians, this would have been a deeply unsettling message. How could the God of Israel, whose Son died on a Roman cross, compare to the grandeur of Zeus or Athena? How could the power of the cross, hidden in humility and suffering, stand against the dramatic victories of Hercules or the cunning strategies of Odysseus? Yet this is exactly what Paul invites them—and us—to consider: that God’s power is not found in displays of might but in acts of self-giving love, not in dominance but in sacrifice. Reflecting on this, I think about how mythology shaped the Corinthians’ worldview. The stories of gods and heroes taught them to admire outward strength, cleverness, and beauty. But Paul challenges these assumptions. In the cross, he offers a new way of understanding power—not as something to wield over others but as something to lay down for their sake. This isn’t the power of Zeus’ thunderbolt or Athena’s strategy; it’s the power of love that bears all things, endures all things, and ultimately redeems all things. Perhaps the myths of ancient Greece captivate us because they speak to our longing for strength and significance. But the message of the cross speaks to something deeper. It invites us to let go of the world’s definitions of power and embrace God’s foolish wisdom, a wisdom that calls us to humility, love, and grace. When I think about Corinth, I imagine how challenging it must have been for them to reconcile this message with their culture. And yet, Paul insists that this “foolishness” is the very power of God. Perhaps the cross continues to challenge us today as it did the Corinthians. It calls us to rethink power, to see wisdom in what the world calls foolish, and to trust that God’s ways—though often hidden—are always redemptive. |
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CLOSING PRAYER: Grant me, O Lord my God, |
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WEEKLY PRACTICE: Jan 5 - 11 (Sun - Sat) Confession: Releasing and Seeking Forgiveness in Prayer Let this week be an opportunity to find hope in letting go. When we confess our sins, it is more than a statement. In fact, while a part of our liturgy every Sunday when we receive communion in worship, when we seek forgiveness we humble ourselves and open ourselves to be able to do more than we thought possible. The preferred practices and patterns of life have room to take root within us when we find freedom from our past failures and shortcomings. It’s like cleaning a home of junk food, when all that’s left are things which are good and pleasing to our bodies then there is plenty of room in the mind to take on the healthier habits and practices already available to us. May the forgiving power of grace abound and sin no longer make a home in your heart and mind as you confess in your prayers before God and one another among people of faith. Amen. |
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