PRAY: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us to hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

READ: 1 Corinthians 1:10–17

MEDITATE:
A cult of personality… “I follow Paul!” “I follow Apollos!” “I follow Peter!” The church at Corinth was divided along the personalities of the early leaders of the church. It is safe to assume that the early leaders opposed these divisions, but the people continued to proclaim their loyalties.

Paul addresses the problem of these needless divisions by focusing on the necessity to follow Christ, asking a series of three questions in verse 13: 1) Is Christ divided? 2) Was Paul crucified for you? 3) Were you baptized into the name of Paul? In other words, Paul addresses the problem of division by stressing the common denominators that bind all members of the church together: 1) the unity and sufficiency of Christ (Is Christ divided?), 2) the cross of Christ (Was Paul crucified for you?), and 3) the lordship of Christ (Were you baptized into Paul’s name?) A similar emphasis is found in our own Baptismal Examination: “Do you turn to Jesus Christ as your Savior?” “Will you follow him as your Lord?”

Paul’s appeal to the church in Corinth is for unity: unity under the cross of Christ and unity under the lordship of Christ. At the close of these forty days of discernment we will ask some very important questions about our unity with The Episcopal Church and the larger Anglican Communion, so it is appropriate that we consider Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians for unity. It is equally important to consider the basis and the foundation from which unity must grow: the cross of Christ and the lordship of Christ.

Questions and Application:

1. What does this passage say?
2. What does this passage mean?
3. What counsel do you think Paul would provide as we consider our unity with The Episcopal Church and the larger Anglican Communion?
4. Are there any needless divisions that have separated you from a brother or sister in Christ? Might you return to the source of your unity, the cross of Christ and the lordship of Christ, and make peace with that person?

PRAY: Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.