“Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.” 1 Cor. 1:26

I don’t usually pay much attention to my wife’s double-sided make-up mirror in our bathroom. It happened to be flipped to the extra magnification side. Out of curiosity, I took a look.

Whoa! I was taken aback by what I was seeing. It was my face but had I not known better, I might have guessed I was looking at the surface of the moon! That was harsh, and a little more than I thought I would see. Moisturizer definitely needs to be in my daily regimen.

Our scripture for Sunday is 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. In this passage, Paul invites the church to take an honest and closer look at itself to remember who God is calling us to be. It is important to look deep inside and remind ourselves of how we respond to God at work in us and in the world.

The Corinthians, like many communities, were tempted to measure faithfulness by cultural standards: influence, wisdom, success, and status. Paul gently but clearly turns that thinking upside down.

“Consider your own call,” he says. God did not choose the church because it was impressive. God chose the church to reveal what truly matters.

Paul reminds us that God’s wisdom is often revealed through what the world overlooks. God works through ordinary people, shared life, humility, and trust. The strength of the church is not found in prestige or performance, but in belonging to Christ and living faithfully together.

As a congregation committed to serving and praying together, we’ll consider how thriving may require letting go of cultural expectations so we can trust more deeply in God’s wisdom already at work among us.

I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube this Sunday.

Brett