worship preview

Dear Saints:   Tomorrow night is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, which means that Red Wings'  coach Mike Babcock and Penguins' coach Dan Bylsma are doing all they can to get their teams ready to play.  Adjustments are being made, strategies are being fine-tuned, edges are being sought.  A coach's job, of course, is to do all that can be done to get his or her team to the highest level of performance.     This Sunday we will reflect on some coaching that is offered by the apostle Paul.  His goal, as you can guess, isn't to generate success by a sports team, but by a team assembled by God in the city of Corinth.  For this team, known as the body of Christ, success doesn't mean getting the puck into a net, but something much more difficult--getting the love of Christ into people's lives.    In the Scripture we will focus on a situation that has arisen in the church that requires the apostle's attention.  In ancient Greece, animals were sacrificed to the Greek gods and the meat was then sold in the marketplace.  Some people believed that eating such meat was an offense against the true God.  Others believed that since these gods weren't real, there was no inherent problem eating the meat used in these rituals.  So, Paul is asked, is it okay to partake of this meat or not?   In I Corinthians 8:1-13, Paul answers the question in a way that points the church to the way of Christ, not only in this situation, but in all situations.  We shall see that in a culture far different from ancient Greece, Paul's words point to some principles that can guide us as we navigate our way through the complexities and challenges we face.   To prepare for worship, I ask you to read the Corinthian passage (included below) and to ponder these questions:  what are the competing principles at work in this situation?  what does Paul say is the relationship between knowledge and love?  how would Paul define freedom?  in what ways would his views and our modern views of freedom be at odds?  in what situations do you face does Paul's teaching provide guidance?  what would taking his advice look like in these situations?   We will also be blessing our 2009 graduates this Sunday.  So come and join in the celebration!   In Christ,   Bryan   Food Sacrificed to Idols  1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge.  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But the man who loves God is known by God.  4So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.  7But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.  9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.