God Chose What is Weak

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.  He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,    in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” ~1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Have you been watching the American presidential races at all? It is almost impossible to avoid them. If you have, your ears have no doubt been treated to bombastic pronouncements about:
– Winning
– Making America Great Again
– Losers
– Pussys
– Immigrants/Rapist
– Bimbos
– Building Walls
– Islam is not a Religion
– Carpet Bombing
– Immigrants Not Welcome

You get the idea…..

Juxtapose these messages with the words of Paul to the people in Corinth above. While we are subject to daily messages about being mighty, strong, and pushing back the weak, the vulnerable, the sick, the stranger – We need to be reminded that God is squarely on the side of the one that Trump wall call a LOSER! God is not just on the losers side. God chooses the ‘loser’ to shame the might Trumps of the world. I find it rich to hear Ted Cruz and Donald Trump talking about their faith and competing for ‘Christian votes.’ Have they read the Bible they like to hold in their rallies?

So on this second week of Lent – perhaps we can make a point of identifying all of the times we hear words that put down and push back the weak and the vulnerable. Then we might take a moment to absorb the words of ‘One Corinthians.’ It is good news. It is good news because the truth remains that we have all been weak, we have all been vulnerable and we have all been foolish. Thankfully God chooses the weak.  Don’t let the bombast and machismo seduce you — God is calling us to stand in solidarity with the weak and the vulnerable. We we not hear of boasting for boasting sake.

God help us to embrace our foolishness, our weakness, and our vulnerability.