William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury 1645.
Text for the Reflection
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God
Reflection
During the time of Paul Greek philosophers were highly esteemed as the most learned and wise men. Philosophical wisdom was highly prized by the pop stars and sportsmen and sportswomen of today. Even today people put more value on the sciences than on the arts especially when it comes to career choices. I taught at the university for three years and for those three years, our department of Religion Ethics, and Philosophy was the least-resourced department in the whole university. It was always the last to be considered on the budget. This also reminds me of the publication that was once made on the useless degrees in the world and theology and other arts degrees dominated the list. This is the world where we are; economics now focuses more on the products and forgets about the human being that produces those products. What follows with such thinking is what we see happening in Ukraine now, science is being used to destroy life. When we talk about ‘the message of the cross’ we are talking about what Jesus did and what He is doing. This will include: His life and teachings. What happened at Calvary and three days later? How the blood of Jesus redeems us and keeps us saved. That Jesus is coming again one day. This is the message that is considered foolish by the learned people of today but to the wise, it is the saving message. May the almighty God help us to receive the message of Christ with sincere hearts.
Collect
Eternal Father, who at the baptism of Jesus revealed him to be your son, anointing him with the Holy Spirit: grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit, that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children; through Jesus Christ your son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
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