C.S. Lewis, in one his most memorable essays “The Inner Ring,” describes a place where almost all of us long to be. We want to be in the know—one of the essential people – in the Inner Ring. We want to be part of that tight circle that’s most important, wherever it may be: in a family, a circle of friends, at work, or at church. Lewis writes: “I believe that in all men’s lives at certain periods, and in many men’s lives at all periods between infancy and extreme old age, one of the most dominant elements is the desire to be inside the local Ring and the terror of being left outside.” To feel excluded or out of it or non-essential is miserable. Yet the desire to be “in” can make you say things you would not otherwise say or not say things you should say. This desire to be on the inside of whatever group you want to join can and will affect your relationships at work at home, in the community, and in the church. In Corinth, the freshness of a relationship with Jesus had worn off among the Christians and had given way to the wisdom of the cool and sophisticated “in crowd.” By the time Paul writes 1 Corinthians, this pursuit for the inner ring had only brought them quarreling, factions, competition, confusion, selfishness, and immorality.
In our text this Sunday, Paul encourages you to rediscover God’s inner ring and the gifts that await you. Inside, you can’t help but be transformed!
