Cousin Eddie

 

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—  even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:1-9 ESV).

 

One of the traditions for me between Thanksgiving and Christmas is viewing the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The Griswold’s march their way through their own family traditions with tongue and cheek humor that is altogether too close to the truth in many of our families. One of my favorite characters is Cousin Eddie. He is the relative no one wants to be around for any length of time and yet seems to be stuck dealing with him throughout one of the most important of family gatherings. You never know what they might say or do; however, you know it will be an embarrassing moment. Almost every family has a “Cousin Eddie.”  

 

Our reading today comes from the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. We don’t know a lot about the people to whom Paul was writing in the ancient city of Corinth. But we do know that the people struggled sometimes with getting along. Much like the Griswold’s they seem to have had lots of problems in their gathering together. That shouldn’t surprise us. If you belong to some kind of community of faith, whether it’s a family, small group, house church, or large congregation, you know there is sometimes discord and disagreement. That happens in all kinds of groups and gatherings.

 

Paul’s greeting to the church in Corinth gives a helpful perspective. First, Paul affirms that living out our faith in community with one another is God’s intent for us. The Bible from beginning to end makes clear that God blesses and lives among the family or community of faith that he is gathering together. Second, Paul identifies the glue that gathers God’s people together and keeps them united to one another. That glue is God’s grace. God’s grace not only covers all our sins and unites us to Christ as individuals; it also helps us see others as people for whom Christ was willing to die. When we see others through God’s grace-filled eyes, our bonds with one another are strengthened. This requires the hard work of dying to our own preferences and egos and giving thanks to God for his grace that brings us all together. Use that truth in your gatherings this season. It is a part of being thankful!