Source of Faith and Hope – 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

A text – 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,
1:5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind–
1:6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you–
1:7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

A reflection:

Paul always writes to the churches he has visited that God is the Father of Jesus Christ and the source of those believers’ faith. Paul knows he and his associates in ministry do not bring the faith to these people. God calls him to visit the people, but it is only God who reveals Godself to them. Paul is merely there to catch the believers as they come to faith and to answer questions the believers have.

It is tempting to credit human beings for miracles, for salvation, for heroism. And indeed, human beings can do heroic things. But if we put all our hope and faith in humans, that will be a burden those heroes will find difficult to bear. As believers, we know that God is the source, the inspiration for hope. Humans help. They walk beside us and they are faithful friends. But faith and hope come from God. We ought not to expect that human beings are the source of such miracles.

In this Advent season, let us thank God for being willing to come into earthly life as a human being to know us and our suffering and our joys first hand. Let us look to God for hope and faith. And then let us be with one another as friends, companions, walking partners in life, to share this great hope and faith and not to expect perfection from one another. Let us lift those burdens of high expectations off our friends and family and cherish them as fellow humans walking on the same path. Peace to your house.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for placing us among fellow humans so that we can walk life’s path together. Help us to be grateful to you for loving us and saving us and bringing us the gift of eternal life with you. Help us to be gentle with our fellow travelers and rejoice with them in good times and listen and  care during bad times. Our companionship is also a gift from you.  Amen.