Sermon for June 16, 2019 - "The Cross-Shaped Good News"

After a week off for a special presentation on Pentecost, we continue our journeys with Paul. This week, Paul writes to the church in Corinth with a message that can be summarized: "Shape up!" Corinth was a newly rebuilt city with a mix of people - Romans, Greeks, slaves, free - and the church included that diversity and also its difficulties. Rev. Tom teaches us about how the shape of our lives - whether hectic or orderly or messy - can, like Paul, reflect the cruciform-shaped life of Christ. Such a life of suffering can be foolishness and a stumbling block to others, but it makes sense in the heart. The cross stands as a sign that God wants to be with us and to shape us into vessels for God's message to the world. A focus on the cross that Jesus accepted can reshape our divisions - both in Corinth and in our own lives. (Bible reading - 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 NRSV)