Our lifeboat

1 Corinthians 10:15-24

          "we who are many are one body". For whatever reason all I could think of is a movie I have not seen in decades, Lifeboat. It's quite a movie and the world as it existed was a single lifeboat and it's occupants. It might be an interesting movie to watch, especially after reading this today.  What happens might be an interesting analogy to life.

           Imagine a camera and move out, way out so that what you see is a beautiful blue orb - earth. That is our lifeboat and we who are many are one body, the creations of our heavenly Father. How do we handle that? What do we do with that knowledge , that realization if you will?

           We know how we are called to act and perhaps we think about it it terms of our family, our neighbors, our coworkers, maybe as citizens of the United States. What about as citizens of the  world? 

            There is a great irony in a growing trend of isolationism. The premise is that we should spend less money and have perhaps less concern for the needs of the rest of the world and focus more on the needs here at home. Even worse, there are calls to cut many social safety nets at home and diminish help and lower taxes at home. The extreme irony of this kind of thinking is that it comes from the far right Christian conservatives when in fact such thoughts are the furthest from what Christians are called to do. This kind of thinking and policy is the furthest from what Jesus would do. This, in a country of enormous gifts.

             We amass vast fortunes here in the United States as if capitalism and business were part of our founding documents. I would not agree against being rich. Being wealthy in itself is no sin. I would however point out that hearses do not have luggage racks. The fact that we have the money and resources to help millions and have the moral and religious responsibility to do so as a nation and as individuals is quite indicting compared to what we actually do.  What we consume in every single measure as a percentage of the 'lifeboats' population and resources is simply sinful on the grandest of scales.

              Now would be the time to get Lifeboat from Netflix or some other place. How are we called to act even ( or especially ) while we recognize the evil in the world. God has great compassion and love for every single one of us, saints and sinners. Into which category do we wish to be aligned? What are our duties as citizen of earth, our 'lifeboat'? 

I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? What do I imply then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

‘All things are lawful’, but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful’, but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of others.