Kelsey Harmon
5th After the Epiphany, Year B
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Emmanuel, Houston
Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147:1-12, 21c
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for
boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim
the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my
own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this:
that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make
full use of my rights in the gospel.
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made
myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became
as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under
the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under
the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am
not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those
outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I
have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do
it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
I have never given a sermon before, so bear with me,
and I hope you all enjoy it. I am basing my sermon after a reading from first
Corinthians, in which Paul is writing a letter to the church he created in
Corinth.
Paul was told by God to go out and spread the gospel,
and Paul had no problem in doing so. I believe he felt honored to do as God
told him. Paul is now an apostle, who is writing a letter to his church to
instruct them on how he was successful in creating the church there, partly
because they’re having concerns of whether he is an apostle or not. Paul doesn’t ask for a reward after
preaching the gospel. Which, to me at first didn’t sound so surprising, I mean
why would he? but that’s what made
people question Paul’s actually being an apostle. Preaching and not to getting
a reward, people thought that was suspicious. But he was an apostle, because
God came to him and sent him to share and spread the gospel. I think rather
than a physical, monetary reward, Paul felt incredible inside with
self-assurance. He had a good feeling
inside for doing as God told him.
God will not love us any more than anyone else if we
proclaim the gospel, but he will not neglect us either. Being a Christian, a follower of God, It’s
not a pyramid where we’re trying to get to the top and then become God’s
favorite. There’s no game of favorites
with God. Following God consists of what we think of ourselves and how we feel
inside. Sucking up to a teacher may get a student a good grade, but God is not
that teacher. He is a teacher, but not
that teacher. The reward Paul receives is knowing he did the right thing by
obeying God.
We do things our family or friends ask of us because we
love our family. I care what they think
of me, I don’t want to disappoint them, for their sake. God cares for us. So I think of how Paul
responds to God’s request as how we relate to our families, it’s similar, we
and Paul do as God would do asks us to do because it is the right thing.
The other thing Paul said in his letter is that he
became all things to all people. I like
to think of it as not just being a part of one clique at school, but all
cliques, thus, making the barriers not in existence. Numerous people are
friendly towards everyone. Therefore, they are liked by most, similar to Paul.
Paul didn’t become like a Jew to make fun of the Jewish culture, not to be
hypocritical, but rather to embrace other people and show his respect to them.
He wasn’t disguising himself by surrounding himself with so many different
kinds of people.
If my friends like country music, I’ll listen to it
and like it if I wish to do so. I won’t pretend to like it. A high school student who is all to all
(traverses cliques) might do so to have more friends, to be on friendly terms
with more people, to have more unity among the people of the school.
Paul too, changed how he was with different people.
Paul was gifted with the fact that he was open-minded enough to approach so
many different kinds of people. Paul
shared the Gospel’s blessings. He
thought he’d be closer to the people of God by sharing the Gospel. He’d be a happier person and so share more in
the blessings of the Gospel. He’s not
doing it for the money or for the attention. He’s doing it for God and the
Gospel.
Paul asked for no reward because he didn’t feel like
it’d be the right thing to do. Paul lived be two rules…LOVE God and LOVE your
neighbor. and that’s why he went out to share the gospel with all his
neighbors. I am not saying we must all go out and force God’s word onto
everyone we encounter with bullhorns in our hands, but just to love God and our
neighbors.
Knowing God, the Gospel, God’s love and redemption of
the world, and coming into relationship with God through the gospel was
salvation for Paul. That was Paul’s
reward. That’s all he wanted. That’s why
he was all to all, to help bring the gospel to people in order to bring them to
God. Amen.
