Jesus is Lord: How this early Christian confession shapes the epistle Lectionary readings

courtesy of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library 

In 1 Cor 10:1-13, Paul is reminding his readers of the events that occurred during the wilderness wanderings of the people of God under Moses' leadership.  It stands as a reminder of the spiritual failure of humanity.  It isn't that we are any better than they are, in fact, that is the point.  Just as Israel was baptized together, fed by the same spiritual food, and drank from the same spiritual drink, they were led by the Christ as well.  Yet an entire generation was lost.  That generation failed to achieve the goal of resettling in a new land.  That was left to the next generation.  The failures, which included the rejection of Moses which really was a rejection of God's leadership, the negative report of the spies, turned the people from their objective.  They repeatedly refused to get in line with what God had called them to do.  Isn't this really what we do?  Yet there is a way out for us as there was for them.  The warning from Paul to be careful lest the Corinthian let the same history repeat itself.  We as humans are all under the exact same condition.  We tend to allow fear and anxiety control our lives and therefore fail to have the courage to live as God has called us to live.  Yet the "exit", the way out that exists, the exodus is still found in the faithfulness of God.  During Lent, we focus on Jesus in the wilderness. It is in the wilderness that Jesus demonstrates what we often fail to do.  A selfless obedience to God's will.  Keeping in mind his mission, to proclaim the gospel of God's grace and to face the cross, Jesus continues undeterred.  Jesus is Lord, because Jesus is successful where we fail.  He alone lives in complete obedience to his Father's will.  In doing so, Jesus as the Christ become the one able to guide us in our own wilderness.  In the church, we also have been given spiritual guidance.  We are given spiritual nurture in our fellowship, in Holy Communion, in the ministry of the Word.  Yet we must remember that these all focus and point us to living a life in the light of the cross of Jesus.  Refocusing our own reasons for living that point us away from our own agendas in life, to a life lived by the grace, mercy, love and peace of God.