1. Corinthians 3,5-15. 9. Trinity

1. Corinthians 3,5-15 3923

9. Trinitatis 55 

The Transfiguration of Christ

John Mason Neale, Anglican priest, scholar, hymn-writer and hymn translator East Grinstead, England ✠ 1866

6. August 2023

1. ℣ Behold, God is mine Helper: 

℟ Adona is with them that uphold my soul (Psalm 54,4). 

O Yahweh, our Adonai, Your Name is majestic through all the earth; send forth Your glory to us, so that the reign of heaven may be manifested among the nations.  Amen. (Psalm 8,1 Gradual) 

2. »What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.« 

3. In his epistles, Paul teaches that the foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ; specifically Christ is the Cornerstone upon which the foundation of the apostles and prophets is built (1. Corinthians 3,11; Ephesians 2,20). Upon this foundation is constructed a holy temple, and the individual construction materials of that temple are Christian men and women (Ephesians 2,21-22). In the New Testament this holy temple is the Church. 

4. Like the Old Testament temple, the New Testament Church does not always act as holy, spiritual people. Idolatry, false teaching and impious behavior can and does occur. The Holy Spirit sends ministers to call His people to repentance and return to proper worship, pure doctrine and a pious life. Adamant unrepentance will eventually be punished and disciplined with the goal to return people to Christ; humble repentance receives gracious absolution. »Yahweh is slow to anger, abounding in merciful steadfast love and faithful/true, forgiving transgression and iniquity, but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation« (Numbers 14,18 lxx). 

5. Paul proclaims that Christ alone is the only foundation for the Church and Christianity. Paul writes about this in a number of his epistles, particularly in his Epistle to the Galatians where he says: »Even if we or an angel from heaven may be preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one we ourselves preached to you, let him be accursed/excommunicated« (Galatians 1,8). Paul tells us in his 1. Epistle to the Corinthians what this gospel is that he preaches: »I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified« (1. Corinthians 2,2). But some from the Jerusalem Church preached a different message: they said the gospel is Christ crucified, circumcision and the dietary law. Paul says this different message is a distorted gospel (Galatians 1,7). In the first three chapters of his Epistle to the Galatians, Paul presents a wonderful theological presentation of Christus solus (Christ alone) that culminates with his declaration: For in Christ Jesus you are sons of God through faith; and if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3,26.29). 

6. The Psalms and Prophets speak of this foundation. »O Yahweh the God Sabaoth, righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; merciful steadfast love and faithfulness/truth will precede before Your face« (Psalm 89,8.14 lxx). »Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I will lay for the foundations of Zion a precious Stone chosen to be the Cornerstone for its foundations; and those trusting upon it shall in no way be disgraced« (Isaiah 28,16 lxx). 

7. May the Holy Spirit grant that what we build here be a rich blessing. „We are blessed only through Christ who is the foundational Cornerstone of the Church, for He is the foundation of our life: through Him, Christ, who died for us! Remaining on, and in, Christ we have eternal life and forgiveness“  (Martens ¶ 11). 

8. Let us remain grounded upon Christ, the apostles and the prophets. »Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the torah of Yahweh! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in His ways! You have commanded Your precepts to be kept diligently. O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping Your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all Your commandments. I will praise You with an upright heart, when I learn Your righteous rules. I will keep Your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!« (Psalm 119,1-8). 

9. I know, my God, that all my deeds 

And works in Your will heed,

Happiness and blessing come from You;

What you rule, goes and stays

In right, good ways. (Ich weiß, mein Gott, daß all mein Tun selk 768,1 2021 Paul Gerhardt 1653) 

This is most certainly true. 

13. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7).  Amen. 

14. Let us pray. O God of our fathers, Lord who keepest Thy mercy, who madest all things by Thy Word, and by Thy wisdom formedst man that he should have dominion over all things that were made by Thee, and rule the world in holiness and righteousness, and execute judgment in uprightness of soul, give us wisdom, her that sitteth by Thee on Thy throne; send her forth out of the holy heavens, and from the throne of Thy glory bid her come that being present with us she may toil with us that we may learn what is well-pleasing before Thee, that in our doings she may guide us in ways of soberness and guard us in her glory, henceforth and always. Amen. (9. Trinity, Vespers Collect 1. The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.) 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

 

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

Evangelisch-Lutherisches Kirchengesangbuch. Copyright © 2021 Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, Hannover. 

Martens, Gottfried. A sermon preached on 7. September 2014 (12. Trinitatis) in Berlin-Zehlendorf, Germany on 1. Corinthians 3,9-15. Copyright © 2011 St. Mary Church in Berlin-Zehlendorf (SELK). All rights reserved. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2023.