Nougat 7

Are you familiar with the term ‘laughing stock’? It refers to someone who is the subject of ridicule. Not necessarily because they are stupid, but of mean-ness or rather, the cruelty of others. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be God’s laughing stock? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

1 Corinthians 4:9-10 CEVDCI

[9] It seems to me that God has put us apostles in the worst possible place. We are like prisoners on their way to death. Angels and the people of this world laugh at us.

[10] Because of Christ we are thought of as fools, but Christ has made you wise. We are weak and hated, but you are powerful and respected.

Fools for Christ

As we have journeyed through this chapter of Paul’s letter to the Corinth church, I’m sure that Ministry doesn’t seem very exciting to you. Honestly, I am happy that this didn’t register in my psyche before I answered the call to ministry. Perhaps I’d have ignored God’s call. But, I didn’t. So here I am. And here we are.

Self-Check

If you had the opportunity to count the cost, would you heed God’s call to ministry?

Deeper Dive

I suspect that Paul wrote this letter while he was still frustrated with the Corinthians. The level of angst which he’s giving vent to doesn’t reflect a typical day in the life of an itinerant pastor. Well, not in any congregation or parish in which I’ve served. But when it rains, oh glory! it pours.

The truth of the matter is that none of us has been called to follow Christ in a life of thornless roses. We tend to appreciate roses because of the beauty at the tip of their thorny stems as well as the fragrance of those blooms. And, if we paid attention to Y’shua’s Beatitudes in Matthew 5, it is abundantly clear that the blessings He promised are the roses atop a rosebush of hurts and cares. That’s what we’re promised. In fact, Y’shua tells us that we ought to rejoice in painful scenarios, for we might not see the blessing now, but it awaits us in the hereafter.

Those who’ve cultivated roses don’t discard a rosebush because of the thorns. They wear special gloves to tend their gardens. One might say that we must take the same approach when ministering to God’s flock. However, we must remember that THEY may be the thorns we face. So we focus on the outcome: the possible roses that will emerge. It’s not about giving up on the flock, it’s loving them through the bad patches.

Not all of us are ministers, thus, we are likely to be congregants. Could it be that we are called to use the wisdom accorded us to transform attitudes in the church? I am aware that Paul was probably being sarcastic. Even if that were the case, it doesn’t matter. John would remind us that our task is love, not judgment or despair. That’s his point in all three letters. He echoes the Great Commandment to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. And that’s second only to the Greatest Commandment – to love God above all else, with our whole being.

So where does that leave us? As a laughing stock to the ‘wise’, with the recognition that Christ, Who has called us, has experienced the same for our sakes.

Point to Ponder

How will we react to those who try to humiliate us because we’re ministry leaders?

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May all we seek be found in Christ