1. Corinthians 14,1-3.20-25. 2. Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠ 1. Corinthians 14,1-3.20-25 3512 2. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 047 Mamuold, Abbot at Regensburg, † 1001 17. June 2012 1. O Heavenly Father, You are a consuming fire, punishing to the third and fourth generations of those who hate You. Many times we forget that You are a jealous God who brokers no rivals. And yet we live in a fallen world that does nothing but raise up other gods above You. We also in our sinful hearts strive to place ourselves above You. The results of such pride have had devastating results in our world and in our lives. Thankfully You also tell us that You are a gracious God who shows loving kindness to the thousandth generation of those who believe in You (Exodus 20,5-6). You have shown Your mercy to us through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, and in Him we freely receive eternal life and salvation. Amen. 2. Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a language speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written: „By people of strange languages and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord“ [Isaiah 28,11]. Thus languages are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole Church comes together and all speak in languages, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. 3. The Apostle Paul specifically lists two spiritual gifts: prophesy (προφητεύητε) and languages (γλώσσῃ). Paul says that prophecy is a chief gift of the Holy Spirit. When we hear the word „prophesy“, our first thought is „to predict the future“. There are numerous prophets in the world, and some are renowned, like Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce. We have fortune tellers, horoscopes, astrology and a host of other prophetic means to learn our future. It is true that the prophets of Yahweh did predict future events, but we do not want to just lump Yahweh in with all the other worldly fortune tellers. Yahweh is not merely one among many fortune tellers with whom we can obtain information about our future. 4. Biblical prophecy is less about foretelling future events and more about proclaiming a specific action of Yahweh. The 66 books of Holy Scripture all focus on the incarnation of Yahweh in the God-man Jesus the Christ. Furthermore, Scripture clearly proclaims that Jesus’ ministry is saving fallen mankind. So when the prophets actually predict a future event, this foretelling is to serve the proclamation and the promise of the Christ who is to arrive. 5. When we hear the word „tongues“, our first thought is „ecstatic babbling“. What many English Biblical translations translate as „tongues“ is more properly translated as „foreign languages and dialects“. In Paul’s day, the Corinthian Christians would have spoken Latin, as they had been annexed as a Roman colony five decades earlier. There would probably be some Greek- and Aramaic-speaking Christians, too. 6. The situation at Corinth was that the the various pastors were all speaking in different languages when they prayed or spoke. Some could understand, but others were clueless as to what had been said. Worse still, the pastors were not inclined to interpret, or they were unable to interpret, what they had just said. Nevertheless, the Corinthians were proud of their diversity. See, we have six distinct language groups in our churches: God has blessed us! Except the one speaking in Latin was unable to translate what he had just said into Aramaic, and the one who had just prayed in Aramaic could not translate his prayer into Greek. Not everyone was being edified, and Paul found that abhorrent. 7. Paul acknowledged that yes, the Corinthians’ diversity in languages was a gift of the Holy Spirit. They should be proud of this gift, but Paul tempers that enthusiasm by telling them: You Corinthians are not that special in this regard. There are many churches throughout the Mediterranean who speak in diverse languages, and I, Paul, can speak in more languages than all you Corinthians! Furthermore, I can actually interpret from one language to the next so that all in my presence will be edified by what I say. 8. Paul then continues: knowing other languages is good, but preaching the Word of God is even better. Paul said that he would rather preach using 5 words than giving a 10,000 word soliloquy. Paul would rather preach in a language understood by all: „God forgives you through Jesus.“ than babble on in a lengthy prayer or sing in a language that no one understood. 9. Paul put his finger on the temptation and sin common among mankind: we like to boast. I have two doctorates. I am fluent in five languages. My church has beautiful architecture. Paul responds: So what? The lady down the street has four doctorates. The man in the neighboring borough can speak seven different languages. The church in the next county has older and more impressive architecture. The problem with boasting is that there are always other people who are better than you, are more educated than you and are more cultured than you. Christ gives some people more gifts and others less. 10. If we are going to boast, then let us boast in Yahweh. Let us boast in Christ and emphasize what He has done for us. Let us boldly proclaim that we are damnable sinners, and proudly boast that Christ is our Savior who gives us the gift of forgiveness. The Psalmist declares: »O Lord, with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light« (Psalm 36,9). Yahweh’s gifts, such as languages and preaching, are great gifts in and of themselves, and they are even greater gifts because through them our Lord desires to showcase His love and forgiveness that He freely bestows upon us through His Church. 11. Because they are gifts, however, they are rejectable (Nagel 163). Thus in Jesus’ parable recorded in Luke 14, many of the invited guests spurned their lord’s generous banquet invitation. Paul urges the Corinthians not to despise the gift preaching. Do not reject Christ’s grace. Do not despise His gifts. Gladly receive all He gives, both the lesser gifts as well as the greater. He gives them to His Church so that you may be blessed and blessed abundantly and diversely. 12. Let us pray. O Lord, You are our strength, our Rock, our Fortress and our Deliverer. Help us to gratefully receive Your gifts so that our faith is strengthened and our good works flourish. Amen. To God alone be the Glory  ✠ All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. Löhe, Wilhelm. Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Faith. Copyright © 1902 Frank Carroll Longaker. Nagel, Norman. Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis. Frederick W. Baue, Ed. Copyright © 2004 Concordia Publishing House.