Third Sunday in Lent – C3

Third Sunday in Lent – C3

Years C
1 Corinthians 10:1-13

No safety. No exemption. Not for Moses, Jesus, me, or thee. Herein is a commonality between us.

A part of our test is that of becoming a special pleader. Because of such-and-such-circumstance, we ought to be able to opt out of difficulty with a god-given get-out-of-jail card given the elect - those who won't be tested too much.

There apparently have been folks sated on spirituality who displease a god and they get theirs. We, of course, are capable of learning from their error, not having life in common with them, and enduring through to a special escape pod. What a sunny side of the street we have to ourselves!

I also don't want us to be unaware that this language is common to every cult. No one ever thinks they are in the same boat as those they are distinguishing themselves from. We are always one rung higher on the mast and able to see ever so much further to a safe landing.

That we are in the same boat may be of more importance than our various perspectives from it.

= = = = = = =

I would like a spiritual rock
to follow me all my days
one that would hustle forward
just as I needed to sit and stay

I expect I would have a number of names
for my spiritual rock
Christ I'd name it Rocky
a foundation to build on

yes a spiritual rock of my own
that would also go ahead
and pause long enough
to be a perch to farther see

of course I wouldn't want it
to get underfoot
or be a stumbling-block
something seen but not heard

yes indeed a spiritual rock
that would be the ticket
I'd paint it gold
and be the talk of the town

but then when envy set in
I'd paint it invisible
so only I could see it
and merrily go my way

testing a spiritual rock
doesn't take any extraordinary measures
simply take it for granted
just apply it to every other rock

in a shorter time than it would take
for a bird to peck a mountain down
it too would be gone
and I'd come looking for yours

maybe it wasn't a spiritual rock
if it could be so misused
and maybe it was
especially if it were