Scripture Lesson: I Corinthians 13
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells
In just a few days, our society will engage in the annual orgy of flowers, candy, jewelry, and cards that mark our celebration of Valentine’s Day. Have you had a Teleflora ad in your in box? Love, not profit, is supposedly the heart of of Valentine’s Day. So, with this seasonal focus on love, it seems appropriate to reflect on our understanding of love.
In the legends of King Arthur, the knight Perceval is the only knight who attains the Holy Grail. When he finds it and it is within his grasp, he turns aside and addresses the visibly suffering guardian of the grail, and asks, “What are you going through?”
This brief story helps to shed light on the essence of love. Love asks not, “What’s in it for me?” Love asks, “What is best for you?” Love does not ask “What will I get?” Love asks, “What can I give?” So, with a highly sought after prize almost in hand, Perceval still sees the need of another person. He is not blinded to the needs of others by his desire, his gain, his ambition to obtain the Holy Grail.
Love is the mark of the Christian life. It is this other-centered outlook. This basic concern about the well-being of others and the community. Being a Christian is having a life orientation that is directed outward toward the needs of others and the world. It is not a world view directed toward one’s self, self interest, self absorption, or personal gain. This is basic character of new life in Christ.
Love is fundamental to our outlook, our worldview, our decisions, our behaviors, and our core identity as Christians. This is what we see in the life of Jesus. And this is the way we are called to live. As followers of Jesus, love is our life orientation.
We often use the term “orientation” in reference to sexual identity. One’s sexual orientation may be heterosexual, or homosexual, or bi sexual, or some other variety of sexuality. The term orientation is a way of describing the fundamental proclivity around romantic/sexual attraction. It’s just the way we come and it is a core aspect of who we are.
When we talk about new life in Christ characterized by love, we are talking about a new life orientation. It is not just something that we choose once in a while, or when it is convenient, or in connection with certain activities, or for an hour or two a week. Love is a fundamental aspect of our core identity all of the time. And it is the lens through which we perceive and act.
What do we know about Christian love? In First Corinthians there is the beautiful hymn about love that we heard this morning which is one of the more well known passages in the entire Bible. We think of it a supreme celebration of love. A glorious poetic paean in praise of love. And it is. But why does Paul includes this in his letter? Evidently, the faith community at Corinth needs additional instruction about this fundamental aspect of the Christian life. Paul has instructed them about new life in Christ in all its dimensions, but they aren’t getting it. Despite their devotion to the gospel and their new life in Christ, they are quarrelsome, they are conflicted, they are engaged in intense power struggles, they are fighting over spiritual gifts – who has more and which ones are most valuable. They have completely missed the boat when it comes to love. Having not gotten the message across any other way, Paul shares this hymn about love. And, in the true spirit of Christian love, he does not accuse or point fingers. In fact, he uses himself as the paradigmatic negative example. He uses every angle he can think of to illuminate his topic out of love for the gospel and for the Corinthians.
It’s interesting that First Corinthians 13, this poetic celebration of love, is often read at weddings. If people knew that the original context of the letter, that the recipients were engaged in bitter fighting, would it still be read? Or maybe that is why it is read at weddings!
Not only is this hymn to love beautiful and filled with memorable imagery – the noisy gong, the clanging symbol, the mirror dimly – but it is also intensely practical. It does not present love as sentimental rubbish, or some unattainable
ideal, or a theoretical abstraction. Love does some things and it does not do others things. Love is not competitive, it is not petty, it is not score keeping. Love does not wrong another, it does not hurt others. It is not about getting revenge, privilege, advantage, power, or reward. Love gives to others. It is generous. It is patient. Love never gives up. Which takes us right back to our orientation on life. Love asks, “What are you going through? What do you need? What can I do for you? How can I help?”
When we think about love embodied today, we might think about Malala Yousufzai, the 14 year old Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for advocating for education for girls in her country. We truly see love in her story. She was outspoken in her support of girl’s eduction. Then she was shot to silence her and silence the initiative for girls education through violence, threat, and intimidation. But this has not worked. Malala is only more determined in her desire to promote education for girls in her country. She could have been cowed by the attack on her life. She could have been scared into submission. But she is committed to the well being of her country and specifically of the girls in her country, and that is her driving motivation. She is thinking beyond herself, to the wider good. In a press conference this week, she declared, “I want to serve. I want to serve the people. I want every girl, every child, to be educated.” (Tampa Bay Times, 2/5/13, Wounded Pakistani girl still defiant, Associated Press) That is love in action. That is love lived out in practical terms in today’s world.
But love is not limited to being part of an intensive effort to transform society. Love can also be lived in the context of our ordinary lives. The practical side of love can also be seen in everyday acts of kindness and compassion. Mother Teresa was clear about this. She said, “It is not how much you do, but how much Love you put into the doing that matters.” And, “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.” Love can be incorporated into every aspect of our daily lives. Yes, love, with all of it’s potential to transform the world and transform us.
In First Corinthians, Paul addresses love as a practical guide to life. So we wonder, is love at the core of who we are, and thus, all that we do? Love is about the intention, the motivation, the spirit of the deed as much as the deed itself. Is taking someone to a doctor’s appointment a deed of love? Well, if you do it because you want to be thanked and praised, if you do it because you want the person to be indebted to you, so that they will have to help you sometime, if you do it because you want to look good in the eyes of others, then, no, it is not a deed of love. If you do it simply to be helpful, with no expectation of praise, gratitude, reward, or pay back, then, yes, it is an act of love. Paul’s words about love remind us to examine our motivations. We may be doing things that appear to be good, generous, and loving, but are they really? Is there self interest lurking in the background? What’s really driving us? It is very important to discipline ourselves to examine our hearts about this because self interest can sneak up on us, seep into us, and subtly overtake us. We must be ever vigilant. What are our motivations and our expectations?
Love is a supreme life commitment. It is a lot of work, all year round, not just at Valentine’s Day. Love takes effort. It takes initiative. It is a choice. It takes cultivation and discipline. Love is about sacrifice, and we tend to only like that word when it is used by someone who is selling something. Love with its focus on others with no direct personal gain involved runs completely against the grain of the mindset of our society, regardless of the millions that well be spent for Valentine’s Day. Which is ironic, because the origins of Valentine’s Day are associated with 3 Christian saints named Valentine, all of whom were martyred for their faith. The link to romantic love may be the St. Valentine who performed marriages for Roman men when Caesar had forbidden marriage preferring soldiers who were single. For this defiance, this St. Valentine was killed. So Valentine is originally associated with martyrdom, with laying down your life for the Christian faith, with putting love ahead of life itself.
So, don’t limit your loving to candy, flowers, cards, and jewelry on one holiday. These things pass away. Make love your life orientation. Let serving sustain you. Live for others. And your life will be filled with love which never fails. Amen.
A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 