Our consolation is abundant through Christ (2 Corinthians 1:1-11)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, 4 who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. 6 If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.
8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, 11 as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
–2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (NRSV)
This week we began a sermon series on Paul’s second epistle to the church in Corinth. Second Corinthians has a very different feel than does the first letter. First Corinthians is a much more systematic appeal to church unity that deals with specific issues that were dividing the congregation. Second Corinthians is a much more personal letter in which Paul describes his own faith and defends his authority as an apostle.
Today’s text was Paul’s introduction to the letter. He followed the standard format for correspondence in the ancient world. He started by giving his name, the name of the recipient, and then offered a greeting. Most epistles of the New Testament follow exactly this same procedure. He then jumped right into one of the main themes of his letter, the hope and comfort we have in Jesus. What makes Paul’s statement of comfort so important is that fact that we was speaking from a position of suffering. His calling as an apostle had led him into confrontations with the authorities throughout the Roman Empire. He was living under a sentence of death, and yet continued to live a life of hope.
Part of what makes this message so important for us today is the reality that all of us are going to encounter suffering in our lives. We are going to find situations which take us beyond our ability to endure. We are going to find our hope shaken and ourselves in need of consolation. What makes us able to carry on, Paul says, is the mercy that we receive from Jesus Christ. The consolation he speaks of is not merely sympathy. Instead, it is a strengthening power which lifts us up and builds us into new people. This is the kind of consolation he had received from Jesus and it is the strength that he needed in order to carry on.
The final piece of the conversation in today’s sermon, was what consolation allows us to do for others. The consolation of Jesus is not only about our own personal comfort. Actually, Paul says that we are consoled so that we can be a consolation for others. Because we have been strengthened, we can then in turn strengthen others. This is one of the many reasons that Christian community is so important. Paul had been able to offer consolation to the church in Corinth earlier in his ministry. Now, in his time of need the church in Corinth was able to help him through their prayers and faithfulness.
When the church is at its best, we see this same sort of consolation at work in the lives of Christians. We are able to lift each other up with the consolation of Jesus. We are able to offer strength, support, and love to people in the midst of their sufferings. We are also able to provide each other with the blessing of prayer and love. Second Corinthians reminds us that was true in Paul’s day can be true in ours as well.
