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A Monthly Newsletter of SAM’s Lambs Webster NY 585-872-2281 |
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Meditation for our GS Lenten Meditation Book - 2004 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 When Paul received reports of a Corinthian man living with his stepmother, he admonished the whole community for condoning a relationship that was against both Jewish and Roman law. He chastised them for allowing this illegal relationship instead of going into mourning over it and throwing him out of the community. He summons everyone to gather and condemn the man to death to end his sin, but acknowledging that his soul will be saved on 'the day of the Lord'. He treats the Corinthians' condoning of the unlawful relationship, as being the same as the unlawfulness of the relationship itself, saying "Have you never heard the saying, 'A little leaven leavens all the dough'? Get rid of the old leaven and then you will be a new batch of unleavened dough." Paul compares the condemnation and removal of the man, to the Passover custom of getting rid of all household leaven, 'the leaven of depravity and wickedness' before baking the unleavened Passover bread, 'which is sincerity and truth'. The saying 'A little leaven leavens all the dough' reminds me of a saying from my childhood - 'One bad apple can spoil a whole barrel' and we were often warned to stay away from 'bad apples' lest we end up as rotten as they were. Reading ahead to v. 13, Paul went further than just a warning to avoid 'bad apples', but to 'Root out the wrongdoer from your community'. Betty Van Volkenburg Internet references: On Solo Flight: http://www.singlescenter.com/Publisher/solo.htm The Rev: Father Lance’s pearls for singles: |
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