Fools for Christ

Fools for Christ I do not like April Fools Day because I normally end up on the wrong side of practical jokes and hoaxes. This year is a little different because Easter Sunday falls on the first day of the month. The last time this happened was 62 years ago so pastors have had ample time to think about what they are going to say in worship. I believe the Apostle Paul said it best in his first letter to the church in Corinth.

 “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:18-25, NRSV.) 

The cross will always be an obstacle for those who confuse power with authority. Power has the ability to coerce, abuse, and kill. On the other hand, authority comes through self-sacrifice, constancy, and a heart for others. The earth says “might makes right”, but Jesus exhibits the divine truth that strength comes not in asserting our own way but in laying down our lives in service to others. The cross is a foolishness to many, but it is the only thing that offers a path to abundant life in this world and eternal life in the next. May we all be fools for Christ!

In Hope and Confidence,
Pastor Dave

P.S. There will be a Holy Humor Sunday Service on April 8th at our 10:30 Worship. This is something new for St. Mark (and for me). I hope you will join us throughout the month. It would be foolish to miss it.