Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“What 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.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, April 29, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I’m surprised this didn’t happen more, to be honest. I’ve commented before on how interesting it is that the early Christians didn’t try to pass themselves off as the true hero of the story. Even without Jesus physically in their midst, they pointed, always, to him as the source and perfecter of faith. Even when they were miraculously healing people, they refused to take any credit. It wasn’t about Paul or Apollos or Cephas. It was only ever about Christ, in whose name we are baptized.
I see examples of this kind of single-minded commitment to God within my recovery circles. We work very hard to practice the spiritual principle of anonymity, which means that we don’t seek after any distinction within the fellowship (or without). When we hear a particularly engaging speaker, we don’t go running around blabbing about them by name. We might say, “I heard someone in a meeting say…” No one takes credit. We are all only recovering one day at a time because of God’s work in our lives. When someone compliments me on something I say in the rooms, I thank them and turn it back to God. When someone outside of recovery compliments me on how I handle a challenging situation, for example, I am quick to credit my recovery program (and, ultimately, God) for my serenity and effectiveness.
We are called to this kind of humility, as characterized by anonymity, in all areas of our lives. Paul here challenges us to remember who we are and, more importantly, whose we are, and instead of breaking into factions surrounding this or that charismatic personality, to re-center ourselves in Christ.
When do I find myself following after individual personalities rather than trying to emulate Jesus?
