I Corinthians 1:10-18 (NRSV)
Read I Corinthians 1:10-18 on biblegateway.com
Verse 10Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. Verse 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. Verse 12What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." Verse 13Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Verse 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, Verse 15so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. Verse 16(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
Verse 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. Verse 18For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Devotion
My mother would often respond to my childhood antics by exclaiming, “Uff-da, what a bunch of foolishness!” “Uff-da” may require a team of experts to translate, but “foolishness” was always quite clear to me. Foolishness in my mother’s eyes simply meant a waste of time. The cross of Christ can seem like a waste of time to the human perspective—but not to God. This was, and is, God’s gift of salvation.
Prayer
We thank you, O God, that your foolishness so far exceeds our wisdom. In your foolishness you have loved us, and loved us to the end. Give us the wisdom to rejoice in that gift. Amen.