| Pastor's thoughts: Rev. Donald Cook
God's truth can be both enigmatic and insightful simultaneously. Consider Paul's counsel to the Corinthian church: ". .. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise." (I Corinthians 3: 18) Become a fool to become wise? To begin to make sense of such a perplexing exhortation we need to prayerfully examine an earlier portion of this letter of Paul's. In I Corinthians 1:22-24 Paul proclaims, "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Greeks, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of and the wisdom of God." Have you ever been openly labeled a fool? I have been on multiple occasions. One accusation of foolishness remains indelibly etched upon my mind, heart, and soul. As a teacher with a wife and three pre-school daughters, I was already classified below the poverty level when I responded to God's call to ministry and seminary and accepted a thirty percent decrease in income. When I shared my "good news" with my older brother he offered his unsolicited and unequivocal appraisal of my decision. He looked me squarely in the eyes and said, "You are a fool!" Eventually, I learned to become a fool. Fortunately, I also determined whose fool I was, and I have immensely enjoyed being a fool for Christ.! Through His unfailing grace God continues to transform my foolishness into His true wisdom and into an abundant life. That's what happens when we choose to be fools for Christ.. As Easter approaches, resolve to acknowledge, affirm, and celebrate our experience of God's power and wisdom which come to us as we become fools believing in the reality of the Resurrection. Christ is Risen! |