This blog proides a meditation on the Episcopal daily readings along with a headline from world news:

Greek Elections offer little hope

On the rubbish bin, "Vote here."

2 Corinthians 5

For I know, that if my tent on earth is demolished, I’ve got a building from God, a house not made with hands, everlasting in the heavens; and yes, in this one, I sigh with longing to be clothed with my house from heaven, as long as when I’m stripped, I’m not left naked! Encumbered as I am in this tent, I sigh, not to be stripped, but to be clothed, so that the mortal thing may be swallowed up by life.

The one who has fitted me for this makeover is God, who gave me the Spirit as a first instalment.

So since I’m always confident and know that “at home” in the body, means “away” from the Lord-for I’m walking by trust and not by sight-I am confident, and would prefer to be “away” from the body and “at home” with the Lord. But I make it my ambition to be acceptable to Him, at home or away.

For we must all appear before the tribunal of Messiah, so that each one may receive the recompense of his bodily life, according to what he’s done, whether good or bad. So, because I know the fear of the Lord, I work to persuade others, but I’m completely transparent to God, as I hope I am also to your judgement. No, I’m not recommending myself to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about me, so that you’ve something to set against those who boast of the face and not the heart. For if I’m “out of my mind”, it’s for God; if I’m sane, it’s for you.

For Messiah’s love compels me-

-since I’ve come to this conclusion: that one died for all, therefore, all died; and he died for all, so that the living might no longer live for themselves, but for Him, who died and rose again for them-

-his love compels me from now on to see nobody with worldly eyes; even if I’ve seen Messiah Jesus with worldly eyes, I no longer do so. For if anyone is in Messiah, there is new creation: old things have slipped away; new things have arrived, all of which are from God, who reconciled me to Himself through Messiah and gave me the ministry of reconciliation.

New creation

This great passage from Paul’s “letter of reconciliation”  with the church at Corinth reflects the astonishing assurance and liveliness of his faith as one image after another (sometimes slightly jumbled) leaps from his mind, as he dictates his words. (Those who would like a more detailed reconstruction of Paul’s life can find it in my book: “Paul: An Unauthorised Autobiography” available on Kindle. The Bible passage above is given in my translation.)

There are two strands of Pual’s faith which are bound together in this passage:

1. His faith in resurrection after death. As a Pharisee he would have been schooled to believe in a resurrection of God’s faithful people. It’s possible that his images of the “earthly tent” and the “house not made with hands” come from his Jewish inhertitance, although they are given additional poignancy by his love for Jesus Messiah, whose heavenly life he longs to share. For the present time however, there is work for him to do on earth and he is content to walk by trust (in God) and not by sight (of earthly things).

2. His faith in Jesus’ cross. Paul believes that Jesus’ God’s son has entered the place of darkness, shame and separation from God, so that no aspect of human mortality and evil remains untouched by his love. Jesus has died the definitive human death so that in union with him human beings may “die” to their self-centred lives and rise to a new life which is open to God and their neighbour. This union according to Paul takes place through what he calls “pistis” in Greek, that is, trust, by which believers are said to be “in Christ”. When this happens, Paul says, there is “new creation: the God who created the universe also creates this new life.

When Paul brings these two strands of faith together he is saying that resurrection starts now, on earth, in the new life of believers and is completed in the great transformation from the earthly tent to the heavenly home. This seems to me a splendid declaration of the gospel of the resurrection, written thirty or so years before the accounts of resurrection in the Gospels. Certainly it expresses my hope for this life and beyond it.