From the Pastor – February 2025
“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”— I Corinthians 3:10-17
Five years or so before this letter was written, Paul found himself building God’s Church in the city of Corinth. Those who were converted by the power of the Holy Spirit came from a number of different walks of life. Some were Jews, some were Gentiles; but all were brought to faith by the simple proclamation of “Christ Crucified”. It was on this foundation that Paul left Corinth, some 18 months later, in the capable hands of Apollos. Unfortunately, after the departure of Apollos the Corinthian church began to come under attack. False preachers were making their ways into the church; while at the same time divisions began to surface, which focused on the preachers as opposed to the message being preached.
Paul understood that he had to stop this situation from spreading, before the church in Corinth found itself on the precipice of disaster. He urged that above all else the foundation of the Church must be “Christ Crucified,” this is of paramount importance. Consequently, all things that are built upon this foundation must be in accordance with the cross of Christ. In a figurative sense, they must use gold, silver, and precious stones when building the “Temple” upon the foundation that had already been made. Such things are the very Word of God and the Sacraments. For it is here that God reveals Himself to us and proclaims the awesome mystery of Christ.
We, just like the Corinthians, must remember to build upon the foundation of “Christ Crucified” with only the most valuable of materials. We dare not attempt to build His Church with flammable things like wood, hay, or straw. These things do not point to Christ and do not lead us back to the understanding that we are His children and He continues to do everything for us. Church is not a place to hear about “How to be a better Christian” or how we can use the Bible to “Name it and claim it” for ourselves. Above all, Church is the place where God continues to come to us and refresh us with His message of salvation; washing us clean in our Baptism, strengthening our faith through His Word, and forgiving our sins with His Body and Blood. There is nothing greater to ascend to, nothing more important to figure out. Let us forever be focused on our foundation so that the things which are built may continue to keep us steadfast in the promises of our God.
In the Name of Jesus,
Rev. Eli Lietzau
