The Cross and Christ Crucified
This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy on Sunday, 3/4/18. The text was 1 Cor. 1:18-25. I’m wearing new earrings today, each with a cross hanging from it. We see lots of people wearing crosses around their necks, from their ears, as bracelets. 2,000 years of usage as a positive religious symbol, as decoration and as jewelry have dulled the impact of the words “cross” and “crucify.” For the Romans, crucifixion made an example of those who disturbed the peace of Rome. This punishment was for revolutionaries, terrorists, the worst criminals and slaves. It was something people turned their eyes away from. The believers at Corinth were a mess. There was in-fighting, immorality and other problems. Some valued intellect to the point that their understanding of the gospel was narrowed. Their stress on wisdom and knowledge had created elitism in the church. The Corinthians had questions about how to live their lives and how to function as a church. Their situati...