A new study on the Book of Hosea is available at http://prophethosea.blogspot.com/

The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, greet you warmly in the Lord. All the brothers and sisters send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the Lord. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. (1Corinthians 16: 20-23)

Despite all their troubles in these final lines the Corinthians are assured of Paul's love and the grace of God.

The Corinthians are encouraged to love one another. Only one who has no love for Christ - no regard for the transforming grace of God - is anathema. This is surely an accursed state, but it is self-imposed and can be quickly removed by accepting the love of God.

Most of the letter had been written in the careful Greek script of a skilled transcriber. But in his own hand Paul adds the final lines, including an Aramaic word: maranatha. The translator above renders this as "Our Lord, come!" It can also mean, "Our Lord has come."

Paul has experienced the risen Christ. Paul has experienced the grace of God. Paul has been transformed by the love animating all creation.

The Lord has come. The reign of God is here. Love is victorious over all. But love does not - innately cannot - compel our allegiance. Love is offered. We have the freedom to accept or decline.

Above is a Russian Orthodox icon of the resurrection depicting Christ lifting Adam and Eve from hell.

This concludes 107 meditations on Paul's first letter to Corinthians. Tomorrow I will begin a study of either Amos or Hosea, I am not sure yet of which one. A new URL will be available here.

Now, brothers and sisters, you know that members of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints; I urge you to put yourselves at the service of such people, and of everyone who works and toils with them. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence; for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So give recognition to such people. (1Corinthians 16: 15-18)

Stephanas was earlier referenced as one of the few at Corinth who Paul had personally baptized. He has almost certainly traveled from Corinth to Ephesus to put before Paul many of the issues addressed in this letter.

The relationship between Paul and Stephanas is of several years standing. But they had been separated for most of that time. Now he arrives in Ephesus with two others (and Sosthenes as well?) bringing problems.

Despite the problems, this delegation has spiritually refreshed Paul. Sometimes dealing with problems - forthrightly and reasonably - can be renewing. It is the unresolved or unrecognized problem that saps our energy.

How do we deal productively and positively with problems? We should be alert to them. Don't deny them. Have confidence in your ability to resolve them. Take action, don't just talk. Be courageous.

But mostly practice self-giving love. How can you make the first, second, and third contributions to solving the problem? How can love for others serve to transform and even transcend the problem?

Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (1Corinthians 16: 13-14)

Be attentive to God's intention alive in the world.

Persevere in understanding God's intention and reality.

Find your innate source of self that has nothing to fear but God.

Express your true self with confidence and power.

Ginomai: be always becoming, always emerging, always growing.

In your becoming practice the self-giving love of Jesus our redeemer.

If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am; therefore let no one despise him. Send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I am expecting him with the brothers. Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but he was not at all willing to come now. He will come when he has the opportunity. (1Corinthians 16: 10-12)

Timothy, the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother, was also teaching and preaching. This younger man had been introduced to scripture by his mother, but had otherwise lived a non-Jewish life. Paul circumcised the adult Timothy to improve his credibility in the Jewish community.

Apollos was a contemporary of Paul. A well-educated Alexandrian Jew he had initially been a disciple of John the Baptist. He was introduced to the teachings of Jesus by Aquila and Priscilla. We know that at least some of those at Corinth viewed Apollos, and not Paul, as their spiritual Patron.

It would seem that Paul is not sure where Timothy is or where he might show up. If he comes to Corinth Paul asks that he not be despised; the Greek is closer to being totally ignored. Paul is concerned that Timothy, his most trusted colleague, might arrive in Corinth and simply be dismissed.

Paul has asked Apollos to go on to Corinth, but he has refused. The tradition suggests that Apollos was so disgusted with the Corinthians that he once went to Crete specifically to avoid going to Corinth. Yet much later - after Paul's careful attention has paid off - Apollos becomes the Bishop of Corinth.

The Corinthians are at each others throats. Timothy is out doing his own thing. Apollos is refusing to help. Paul has other priorities. The life of faith is seldom smooth and almost never predictable.

The painting above, by Hanna Cheriyan Varghese, represents Jesus calming the storm on the lake.

I will visit you after passing through Macedonia—for I intend to pass through Macedonia— and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way, wherever I go. I do not want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. ( 1Corinthians 16: 5-9)

Ephesus is near the Aegean coast of what is now Southwestern Turkey. It would have been a quick crossing of, perhaps, two days to Corinth.

But Paul is planning a summer "campaign" to Philippi, Thessalonica, and others in Macedonia, ending up in Corinth where he will spend the Winter. In the ancient Mediterranean there was very little travel by ship or road from late November until late March.

Paul is worried about the gathering at Corinth. He is giving it attention. But he does not want the problems at Corinth to distract him from the opportunities at Ephesus or in Macedonia.

We are often inclined to feed problems and starve opportunities. Given the praise that Paul extends in letters to the Philippians and Thessalonicans, he intends to feed those opportunities (and be fed by them?) before he spends a winter dealing with the problems in Corinth.

This focused, sequenced, and persistent work fits with Paul's disdain for distractions and emphasis on clear priorities.

Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. And when I arrive, I will send any whom you approve with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. (1Corinthians 16: 1-4)

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul explains that when confirmed as apostle to the Gentiles he was asked (instructed?) by the leaders in Jerusalem not to forget the poor.

A consistent aspect of Paul's ministry is the gathering of money to be delivered to Jerusalem.

Above the Greek - logia ho eis ho hagios - is rendered "collection for the saints." Here hagios is, however, an adjective not a noun.

A more literal translation would be, "Concerning this collection for those saintly" (or sacred or venerable).

A noun suggests a state of being. An adjective is concerned with behavior. Paul certainly had strong views on our fundamental state of being, but he more often focused on our behavior.