We come to 1 Corinthians 13, frequently read at weddings for good reason: it is Paul’s articulation of the primacy of love. No Bible degree is needed to know how important love is. Just take a look at your playlist and chances are the majority of songs speaks to it in some way. We crave love. In fact, we have been created both to receive it and to give it. For Paul, love is so central as a motive that without it even the most effective ministry and the most powerful displays of service are absolutely useless. Wow. We will consider this inspiring and timeless challenge to walk in "The Way of Love.”

Against the backdrop of Jesus’ crucifixion, and the sadness of his death, comes the joy and hope brought by his resurrection. The pinnacle of our faith is expressed on Easter Sunday: Jesus is risen! He has conquered death, and his bursting forth from the grave is proof positive that he is the Messiah, the son of God and the true source of life. As we gather to reflect and celebrate, we will consider together the various ways in which the resurrection speaks to his disciples as detailed in John 20:19-29…discovering that, in fact, it speaks to each of us no matter where we are.

We are looking forward to the celebration of Palm Sunday and the Holy Week that follows, yet Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem held not only the promise of celebration, but was rife with anticipation of the sorrow to come. As we declare with the first century Jews that the Messiah has come, we know that pathway to his enthronement required death. Here is a savior who suffered – and how desperately that message resonates today.

Pastor DeLayno Robinson, pastor of Great Commission Bible Church since 1995, will give the message on Sunday. He is no stranger to Redeemer, and we are grateful for the times he has previously spent with us delivering God’s Word. Pastor Robinson has taught in several churches and seminars throughout the country. He is a frequent speaker at several colleges including Asbury College, Grace College & Seminary, Greenville College, Crossroads Bible College, and LeTourneau University. DeLayno holds a Master of Divinity from The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, California and a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Business Administration from Grace College in Winona, Lake, Indiana. Robinson was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He resides in Cincinnati with his wife of 27 years, Pamela, and their son, Doran.

Paul now addresses spiritual gifts: their source, their purpose, and their proper use. The guiding image is that of the church being one body: a unit with many parts. Quite fittingly, his opening treatment is rooted (once again) in a trinitarian reality, and as such it is not surprising that gifts will naturally go beyond a self-serving agenda. Gifts are for the common good! And each gift matters. As with everything else, though, there are misunderstanding and misapplications, and wrongly understood or applied these gifts can be counter-productive. Pray together we can have the right view of these “Gifts for Good.”

As with the previous texts, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 comes into sharper focus with an understanding of the setting in which it is written. Apparently, Corinthian celebrations of the Lord’s Supper included larger meals (likely the “love feasts” of Jude 12) which would often degenerate into gluttony and drunkenness. The practice also tended to benefit the wealthy who could arrive early and eat the plenty they brought (v. 21), which left the poor with nothing (v. 22). Paul rightly considers this a grievous affront to the intent of communion. Such neglect of the actual purpose of the meal, a celebration of unity and the leveling ground of the Gospel, is leading to tremendous harm – and the corrective Paul commends involves some hard soul-searching. Pray along with me for openness and sensitivity to the Spirit’s application of this text.

We come to a rather challenging passage to understand given the distance in context from 1st century Corinth and 21st century Cincinnati - but hopefully, we will get there! Paul has been arguing about the necessity of removing any barrier that may cause people to stumble in their understanding of the Gospel or in the worship of God. This text in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 addresses what that might look like give the Corinthian context of men and women and culture, rooted in a proper view of creation. Paul underscores the beauty of derivative structure, authority, and glory by calling upon the relationship of God the Father to God the Son, and in so doing he aims to honor our Creator and validate the distinctiveness and interdependence of men and women. Please pray that together we can understand and rightly apply this text!

This week's text, 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1, contains a remarkable summary of Paul’s treatment of the believer’s freedom held in tension with consideration of others: “So whether you eat or you drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (v. 31) If one were to choose a life verse, this could certainly be in the running! We will consider the implications of this statement together

Our journey in the book of 1 Corinthians continues this week with Paul retelling of Israel’s exodus to illustrate for the Christians in the city of Corinth their own precarious position as a church living in a wilderness time — a time between their newfound freedom in Christ and the awaited fruition of God’s kingdom. The Israelites thought they had a special relationship with God and would never fall, but they sure did fall. Just because a person goes to church, prays, serves, gives, helps, or reads the Bible, does not mean s/he will never be tempted. Temptation is common. It comes to all. Paul’s warning to us is this: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (v. 12).