Prayer: Dear God, help us to build each other up with love. Amen
Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: When I read, “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brothers to fall into sin…” (v. 13), I remember a time I went to visit a friend at her mountaintop cabin. Now, I have known her forever and have visited her many, many times but this trip was different. Something was missing. It took a while to figure it out but after a few meals, I realized all the food was healthy and fresh. No cookies, no candy, no processed sugar, no crunchy, salty snacks. There was no junk food to be found and believe me, after two days, I had started looking. So, I asked and she explained she was trying to eat better. She also saw that look in my eye of, “I could really go for a chocolate chip cookie right now.” What to do? She had not thought to “warn” me of her resolution (which, mind you, was not anytime near New Year’s) and the nearest town was miles away along a winding, narrow road. Not an easy dash to the convenience store on the corner. Besides, I did not want to be the one to tempt her with chips in the house. I might have been limping along lacking high fructose corn syrup but I was not going to cause my friend to stumble! Whether or not this story has anything to do with Paul’s writing about food sacrificed to idols, I do think it is good to remember to be a support to all around us in their certain situations of trying to be strong. Most importantly, remember, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (v. 1b) Let us build each other up with love. --Ruth Gates, Camp Mount Luther Family Camper
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