I Corinthians 1:3-9 is a text easily overlooked. It is the Second Reading appointed for the First Sunday in Advent in the Year of Mark, and as such, it perhaps often goes unread. What is clear in this text is that God's faithfulness, not ours, is what gives us confidence and hope as we await the coming of Christ. As St. Paul declares, "God is faithful." It is this good word that the preacher will be privileged to announce this Sunday.
(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions available to exegetes. These questions have been developed to highlight the function of the Word in the text, a primary concern of Law and Gospel preachers. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? The Word functions here almost completely as Gospel, announcing all that God has done and is doing to ensure our salvation. This work of God results in spiritual riches of every kind and hope for the end of the age.
2. How is the Word not functioning in the text? There is only a hint of Law in this text, this hint coming in verse 8 where we read that God's plan is for us to be "blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." As more than one scholar has noted, being blameless is evidence of the fact that the day of the Lord is a day of judgment. This is the word of Law, revealing our need for a Savior.
3. With whom are you identifying in the text? We are those receiving this word. Important to note is that all the second person pronouns ("you") in the text are plural. In other words, this is written to a community, not to individuals.
4. What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? There is not a call to obedience here. The subject of all these actions is God.
5. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? There are many Gospel words here, but few Law words, so we shall need to use our imaginations to construct couplets. Some suggestions: poor/rich; weak/strong; lacking/without lack; guilty/blameless.
6. Exegetical work: The plural pronouns are key here. Paul is speaking to a community. He thanks God that the community has been given grace, the community has been enriched, the testimony of Christ has been strengthened in the community, so that the community is not lacking in any spiritual gift. Also it is the community that will be found blameless on the day of Christ, and it is the community that has been called into the fellowship of Jesus Christ. It will be important to highlight the communal nature of this word of grace. Also important to note is God's initiative in all of this grace. As Richard Hays points out in his commentary, "[Paul] stresses that they are gifts of God; that is, they are not expressions of the Corinthians' own autonomous spiritual capacity or brilliance." "If the Corinthians can consider themselves rich (4:8), it is only because they have been made rich by God (1:5)." (Interpretation series, First Corinthians, p. 18). Another observation that I am indebted to Hans Conzelmann for, is that this whole passage builds upon itself in such a way that you can almost feel the praise rising. Conzelmann writes, "[The opening thanksgiving] style is not that of simple communication, but of solemnly formulated prayer of a Jewish type. The latter is already evidenced in the use of the catchword eucharisto, 'to thank'. The 'individual' element lies in the way the tone consciously mounts to the climax at the end, vv.8f." (Hermeneia series, 1 Corinthians, p. 25).
7. Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic? This will be a great week to heed the advice of Henry Mitchell who always insisted that celebration be part of any sermon. Given the abundance of grace lifted up here, the preacher should indeed find cause for celebration!
Blessings on your proclamation!
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