St. Paul pleaded with the Corinthian Christians NOT to receive the grace of God in vain! That is my plea to you, brothers and sisters, as your pastor in Christ: don't receive the grace of God in vain. That is, don't receive the forgiveness of sins for no purpose. Don't turn your baptism into something useless. Don't hear the Word of God preached and taught only to forget it the next hour or day. Don't eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus as if it isn't anything special and doesn't do anything for you! Don't hear the Word of God and then treat each other as if you are not Christians bound by the law of love! In short, don't receive the grace of God in vain. St. Paul preached and taught the Corinthians relentlessly and over and over he encouraged them in Christ as they found themselves with all kinds of squabbles and disagreements, disputes over the Gospel, bold and openly wicked sinners in their midst, and misunderstandings about the basic teachings of the Christian faith. So Paul pleads with them not to receive God's grace in vain. It is a plea to us, too, who can get all wrapped up in what's going on, who's doing what, why someone doesn't run things my way, why things don't happen as I think they should happen. Easy to turn our attention away from Christ to ourselves, our problems, our struggles, as if Christ has not redeemed us from the devil, the world and our sins! But He has redeemed us! He has given us salvation. Therefore don't throw it away as if it's not such a big deal. Instead, in Lenten repentance and faith, cling to Christ and His saving work and gifts.
Paul writes that the Lord hears us in an “acceptable time” and in the day of salvation He helps us. What is the acceptable time? When is the day of salvation? You know that some stores will offer “double coupon days” or “early bird” specials or sales. If you're there at the right time, then you get the discount or bonus gift. So when is the Day of Salvation? When is the time of God's favor? The answer is NOW. The Day of Salvation is the Day of Christ's conception and birth in the flesh into this sinful world. The Day of Salvation is the Day that Christ is baptized with sinners and takes their sins upon Himself. The Day of Salvation is the Day of His temptation and overcoming of Satan's power. The Day of Salvation is the Day the Savior dies for your sins on the tree of the cross. The Day of Salvation is the Day when our Lord rises from the dead, having taken down the powers of hell. Now the Day of Salvation FOR YOU is where the Gospel is preached from the day of Christ's Ascension to the Day of His Second Coming. But you, O man, you don't know the day or the hour of your death! But the Day of Salvation was when you were washed at the font. So also whenever the Holy Gospel is preached, that is the Day of Salvation. Whenever your sins are absolved, that is the Day of Salvation. Whenever Christ's body and blood are given to eat and to drink, that is the Day of Salvation. Even a cold day with an icy parking lot is the Day of Salvation! There is no time to lose! Nothing more important! Nothing more precious or desirable than that the Gospel is preached to you and the body and blood of Jesus given to you. Don't delay. Don't put it off. Don't ignore it or forget about it or put it on the back burner! Don't live as if you've got all the time in the world to “get around to it.” Live as if each day were your last. And that means living in the grace and gifts of Christ. Living daily in His Word. Having your ears filled with Christ's promises and gifts.
St. Paul then goes on to give a mega-list of his sufferings as a preacher of the Gospel, reminding the Corinthians that they too will suffer for being Christians. Why does such suffering come? Because the world hates you, dear Christian. The Devil seeks to take you down. Your sinful flesh urges to run its own way. But more than that. Such suffering reminds us not to hang on to this life and this world because it is passing away. We are never to trust in this world because it will not help us or save us. We have Christ for that. Yet St. Paul also lists many joys and good things which have accompanied him on his journeys and preaching. These are gifts from the Lord by which St. Paul, even though he suffers, can rejoice in the Spirit's work through the preaching of the Gospel. He shares many of the sufferings that the Corinthians have faced but also, by being their fellow-worker in the Gospel he can speak about the joys that he as seen as well. Just like you, brothers and sisters in Christ: you should know that when you suffer, your pastor suffers with you. But you should also know that together, being recipients of the Gospel, we rejoice, knowing the gifts the Lord has for us in the Word and Sacraments, and strengthening one another by those gifts. You see? My job is always to point you to Christ. When you despair, I will point you to Christ. When you rejoice, I will point you to Christ. But also, when I despair, when I am troubled and frustrated, point ME to Christ! And when I have joy, remind me that it is the working of Christ yet again. That way, in good times and in bad times, on sunny days and ice packed days, you and I will be comforted to receive the grace of God in Jesus Christ. The forgiveness of sins. The hope and promise of salvation and eternal life.
St. Paul's teaching for this first week in Lent points us to Christ. He preaches and teaches that all of God' love and favor and blessing and salvation are wrapped up in Jesus. Do you want to see the tender heart of God for sinners? See it revealed in Jesus Christ. Look nowhere else. For Christ has gone the way of suffering for our salvation. He brings us forgiveness and life, NOW, through His Word and Sacraments. It is that Christ, who comes to us in those gifts, who is our comfort against all suffering and the source of all of our joy. And that is NOW. Today. In Jesus. Amen.