Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; Octoechos Tone 8;The Holy Hieromartyr Hermolaus and those with him; The Holy Venerable Woman-Martyr Parasceve.
1 Corinthians 3:9-17; Matthew 14:22-34.
Read 1 Corinthians 3:9-17
Controlled-detonation building demolition videos can be fascinating to watch. There is an almost graceful movement as a rigid structure flows downward toward the earth. A series of small explosions takes out the supports within the structure, assuring a full collapse as gravity pulls the structure inward.
Paul began addressing a problem of factionalism within the Corinthian church with an organic metaphor. The planters and waterers of the word of God, around whom the Corinthians were building factional identities, were equal servants of God who gives the growth. But then he transitions to a structural metaphor. Together the Corinthians constitute “God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you,” warning them in the strongest possible terms to recognize, and refrain from destroying, what is holy.
The “jealousy and strife” referred to (I Corinthians 3:3) are like that series of small explosions that take out the supports within a structure – it hasn’t fallen yet but becomes vulnerable to forces pulling it down. Acts of forgiveness and kindness in our relationships reinforce us to together withstand adversity and bear loads. The ongoing removal of all the sin that undermines our relationships takes on this profound dignifying significance:
“So, then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)