1 Corinthians 13:8-13

“Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” RSV

Paul tells us that three things abide (endure, remain, continue): faith, hope, and love. The thing is, the only one that will exist forever is love. We know that the need for faith will fade. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 RSV). Now, we don’t see God. We must have faith to believe: “whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 RSV). Once we see Him face to face, faith will be unnecessary.

Peter tells us that “we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3b-4 RSV). But that hope will be realized when we receive our inheritance, when we reach heaven. Thus, the only one of the three which will be necessary eternally is love.

Do we focus on that which is eternal? For many charismatics, for many pentecostals, the focus of worship, the focus of Christianity is the gifts: prophecies, tongues, words of knowledge. Paul tells us that, while all of this is necessary for the edification of the Body, it hasn’t the eternal value that love has. All of this will pass away. The focus then, for us as Christians, should be the practice, the obedience to, the choice of love. “Love never ends.”

Paul also tells us that the practice of the gifts is the practice of childish things. The writer of Hebrews agrees:

“Though we speak thus, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things that belong to salvation. For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for His sake in serving the saints, as you still do” (Hebrews 6:9-10 RSV).

What are the “better things?” Our work and the love we show in serving the saints. And what work do we do? Obedience to His word, ministry to each other and to those around us, walking love, being not childish, but mature in the faith. Loving each other as Christ commanded that we do. Choosing love rather than choosing self.

I know that, for myself, I want to learn to practice those things which have eternal value. Prophesy, tongues, words of knowledge—all the gifts of the Spirit—have value for this life, but only if they are practiced in love. But the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)—has eternal value. If we are in a situation—in a church, in a nation—where we cannot freely practice the gifts of the Spirit, we can always exercise the fruit of the Spirit. No one will ever write a law that says we cannot be loving, joyful, at peace with God, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, or self-controlled. As Christians, we should spend our time, our efforts, and apply our thoughts to that which has eternal value.

That’s what I want. How about you?

1 Corinthians 13:7

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. RSV

William Henry: “Some read the first, covers all things. So the original also signifies. Charity will cover a multitude of sins, 1 Pt. 4:8. It will draw a veil over them, as far as it can consistently with duty. It is not for blazing nor publishing the faults of a brother, till duty manifestly demands it. Necessity only can extort this from the charitable mind. Though such a man be free to tell his brother his faults in private, he is very unwilling to expose him by making them public. Thus we do by our own faults, and thus charity would teach us to do by the faults of others; not publish them to their shame and reproach, but cover them from public notice as long as we can, and be faithful to God and to others.”

In everything love, thinks of the welfare of others before it thinks of its own. As Christian, the Lord Jesus said that the world would know we were His by the love we demonstrated for each other. What’s interesting about that phrase is that it was a command, not an observation:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35 RSV).

In other words, the Lord didn’t say that a natural outcome of our being Christians would be that we would love one another. Rather, He commanded us to love one another, even as He has loved us. And then, it would be the obedience to this command, it would be this love that would set us apart from the world.

Do we love each other as Christians? In many cases, I think we have to say no. At least, no according to the definition of love given in 1 Corinthians 13. I look around and I see rather that we, as Christians, compete against each other. We demand our own way. We belittle others so that we can be more superior. The very idea of megachurches demonstrates this. Each church competes to have the most members, the best programming, the most charismatic pastor. Love isn’t into competing, but rather into serving, into sacrificial giving, into making another appear (and be) better than oneself.

William Henry’s comment is interesting because I think that, often, churches attempt to point out the flaws in their “competitors” in order attract membership. Imagine if a wealthy church said to a neighboring poor church, “Oh, your building is old and in need of repair. Please, exchange buildings with us and have this larger, newer building.” You’re probably laughing because who could imagine such a scene. And yet, wouldn’t that be true love?

Can you imagine a church that said to visitors, “We are glad to have you here, but if you were attending another church last Sunday, please go back there so that their membership and growth isn’t affected”? Or saying to a struggling church, “Oh, we know you need resources to improve, so we will give you our best preacher, our best musicians, and most of our finances to help you grow”? No, rather, we say, “Oh, we have the best preacher, the best music, the best children’s programming. Come to our church.” Are we truly showing love?

Think about this same scenario at work. Are we competing against other Christians for jobs, for promotions, for raises? Do we put our own priorities, our own desires ahead of others? Is that love?

I think we often even compete within our own families for where we will go, what we will eat, what we watch on TV, where our goals will lead us. Is that love?

Love wants the best for others. Love is quick to forgive, slow to anger. Love easily shares, quickly meets needs, desires to give for the sake of the other.

I think that we have a long way to go to become the kind of loving disciplines the Lord Jesus wants. I know that I do.

1 Corinthians 13:6

“it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.” RSV

When I was growing up, going to jail was a terrible shame, not only for the person in jail, but the entire family. No one wanted to have a family member serving time, no less become that person themselves.

Now, I have children in my classroom who are intimately familiar with prison (to the point of having been there many times to visit family and friends). And sadly, these children have told me that they would like to go to prison themselves. They like having a bad “rep” and being in the position of being a bully, of having power over others.

Remember, I’m talking about elementary school aged children.

I have students whose desire is to belong to a gang, to learn how to successfully steal and terrorize others. I have students who like bullying and hurting those around them, students who have on multiple occasions killed family pets, students who hate their parents and have no desire to respect or obey the adults around them.

I don’t live in the middle of Los Angeles (or any other urban area). I live in a predominantly middle class rural community.

We, as a society, are regularly subjected to movies and television shows that elevate evil behavior, movies that romanticize sin and law-breaking. One of the most popular recent television series is “The Sopranos,” a show which honors the mob.

Paul tells us that agape love doesn’t “rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.” And yet, if we are participating in our society, we may be exposing (or even saturating) ourselves to the idea that doing wrong is fun, is rewarding, is justified. Even if we insist that we aren’t attracted to extreme wrong-lifestyles, if we investigate our own values carefully, we may find that our moral compass has indeed strayed, that we are willing to see as acceptable certain behaviors that we should be ashamed of, appalled at.

The Greek word translated here “rejoice” is “chairo” which also means “greet” or “welcome.” Thinking of this verse in those terms, as Christians not only should we not be joyful in the presence of wrong, but we should not welcome it either. Our lives, our thoughts, our desires should be such that we welcome what is right and righteous and God-honoring. And the first place that should happen is within our own lives. (Remember that the Lord Jesus told us to remove the mote in our own eyes before we worried about the speck in the eye of another? Matt. 7:3-5).

Oh, that we would become a people that welcomes and rejoices in what is right to the point that we refuse to even entertain that which is wrong. And while we also must be people who easily and quickly forgive, those around us would know that we stand for something. (After all, those who don’t stand for something will fall for anything.)

1 Corinthians 13:6

[Love] does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. RSV

Ever want revenge against someone else? I think that one of the innate human emotions is the desire for one’s persecutor to suffer as much as they have caused suffering (or more). I think that many of us, at one time or another, fantasied about that horrible person being humiliated or hurt like they humiliated or hurt us.

It’s simple human nature.

But Paul tells us that we, as Christians, deny ourselves, deny our nature and choose love. We refuse to rejoice at wrong, even the suffering of our enemy, are rejoice in right. That we have a higher calling: to trust God in everything.

The fundamental concept of revenge is two-fold. First, it is “an eye for an eye.” It is that idea that if you cause me to suffer, then I should be able to cause you to suffer back. It’s the playground mentality of children. “He hit me first!” (That common excuse on why two kids got into a fight.) And as sophisticated and mature as we would like to consider ourselves, the fact is, there is that child still living within us. If we are hurt by someone, we naturally want to hurt back.

The second motivation of revenge is our desire to change that person. We somehow think that if they suffer like we have, that suffering will change their perspective and they will change.

Ain’t necessarily so.

Just think about it. How often does suffering—without the presence of the Holy Spirit—change us? The fact is that while we are often motivated to seek change when we suffer, it isn’t the suffering in itself that promotes the change. It’s our willingness to submit to the Holy Spirit. It’s our desire to be within the will of God.

Thus, it follows that if we want that other person to change, our course of action should be to pray for them and minister to them, to allow the Holy Spirit Himself to choose the method necessary to promote change. Paul wrote in Romans:

“Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (12:17-21 RSV)

Notice that Paul here calls vengeance being “overcome by evil” and in 1 Corinthians tells us that “love does not rejoice at wrong.” As Christians, our concern shouldn’t be about our own welfare or if we are treated fairly. But rather, our concern should be about the eternal welfare of that other person. And what are we told to do about that? We are told to minister to them, to meet their needs.

Ugh! That is a very difficult thing. One obviously only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. And do you want to know a truth? That person may not even appreciate our efforts. But that’s not our concern. Our Lord Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies, to love them:

“But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28 RSV).

As difficult as it is, when we are abused, when we are harmed, when we are persecuted, our response is two-fold: (1) to pray for them, and (2) to love them by doing good to them. In that way, we can rejoice in the right, for what is right? Better yet, we might ask who is right? For God Himself is righteousness. And it is He that we should seek in all situations, learning how to love as He loves.

1 Corinthians 13:5b

[Love] is not irritable or resentful. RSV

• Love is not irritable.

We live in an angry society. Just last week there were two or three school shootings. That doesn’t count the hundreds of murders across the country, the thousands of crimes. And those are the angry acts that are illegal. Think about how many people were enraged by late restaurant orders, rude drivers, absent employees, unthoughtful family members.

We live in a time of rage and depression. It seems to be getting worse and worse each year. Are we on a downward spiral toward social implosion? I think perhaps we are.

All because we allow ourselves to be irritable. All because we allow ourselves to become angry.

I have a dear aunt, now in heaven, who had a friend. She told me one day that she admired this man so much because he never, ever got angry. Not at anything. Not about anything. She asked him one day what his secret was. He told her, “I simply don’t allow anyone or anything to make me angry. I refuse to get mad.”

A simple choice. Well, perhaps not simple, but nevertheless, a choice.

Paul tells us that love isn’t irritable.

Irritable: easily annoyed, easily roused to impatience

It seems that there may be a pattern here. Impatience leads to irritability which leads to anger. Love simply doesn’t go down that path. Rather, love easily forgives, easily overlooks, easily applies the best motive rather than assuming the worst.

And those are choices. No one “makes” us angry. We “choose” to be angry. We set ourselves up by our expectations when, not met, lead us to irritability, to anger. We can also choose other expectations, other paths, other options.

We can choose not to be irritable, but rather to be hopeful, gentle, forgiving.

Which am I?

• Love is not resentful.

The KJV actually translates this “thinks no evil.” Is your glass half empty or half full? We are people of the Hope. Peter tells us: “By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 3b-4 RSV). We are born anew to a living hope! Why then would we be people of glasses that are half empty? How could we only look at what we don’t have . . . when we have everything?

Think of all the ways we think, talk (and walk) in ways that are evil: negativity, anger, jealously, resentment, control, unforgiveness. The list could go on. And yet, we need to leave all of that behind! We are people of the living Hope! There isn’t a reason for us to think evil of anything or anyone. Father God has already promised that in everything He works for our good.

How then are we resentful? Why then do we think evil? Love isn’t resentful, but rather hopeful; isn’t angry, but rather forgiving.

The world will know that we are Christians by the love that we have.

1 Corinthians 13:5a

[Love] is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way . . . RSV

• Love is not arrogant or rude.

The KJV translates this phrase: “Charity (love) doth not behave itself unseemly.” This certainly isn’t a phrase that we use much anymore. In fact, to be honest, we’re not very concerned at all about behaving in a courteous or seemly manner in our society. To behave “seemly” is to conform one’s behavior to standards of conduct and good taste. As our moms used to say, it means simply to behave properly and according to good manners.

So the scripture here is actually more than just not being arrogant or rude, though I truly believe that rudeness is motivated by arrogance, the idea that it’s “my way or the highway.” When we are arrogant, we do what we want and say what we want without regard to the effects that it might have on other people. In other words, we simply don’t care about anyone else (at that moment), only about ourselves, our rights, our opinions, our own actions.

“Of course,” you might say, “that isn’t love. Love considers others.” But the fact is, we are often rude, callous, unthinking, inconsiderate. In an effort to be popular, to be right, to be superior, we push ourselves onto others, either through unthinking behavior or through bombastic opinions. We are crass, sarcastic, overbearing . . . and proud of it.

Look at how “modern” people are depicted on television. They are neither humble nor do they live to serve others. They flaunt themselves and their own agendas. And, to our demise, we follow their example.

I think we have chosen terrible role models.

Yes, our Lord Jesus spoke out against that which was wrong, but only when His enemies first came to engage Him (in an effort to discredit Him). Look at the Lord’s interaction with Nicodemus in John 3. He didn’t condemn Nicodemus, but rather led him gently to the truth. Christ Jesus was so persuasive in His conversation that Nicodemus became a disciple, a follower. The Lord Jesus could have simply condemned him or made fun of him, but He didn’t.

Love has, at it’s core, concern for the other’s welfare, for the other’s feelings, for the other’s eternal condition. It doesn’t “perform” (through silly jokes or coarse words), but rather is always seeking to minister. We need to remember that what one considers funny, another may consider offensive (rude). Rather than have our own personality stamp that we insist others accept (“Well, this is just who I am”), we need to be sensitive and meet others where they are.

• Love does not insist on its own way.

I can remember going to dinner at the home of friends (actually, my parents’ friends) and eating whatever was put on the table. My one adopted “aunt” almost always made tuna casserole, probably because money was tight and it was cheaper to feed nine of us with tuna casserole than steak (which would have been my cavalier choice).

My mom always insisted (quietly and firmly) that I clean my plate as a sign of respect and gratitude for the food (and the invitation).

Too often, these days we insist on our own way. Remember that old Burger King commercial: “Have it your way.” We think that life is like that, that everyone around us needs to accommodate our own likes, our demands. When, as Christians, we should instead be grateful for whatever the Lord provides (in every situation) and be looking for ways to reach out and minister to those around us.

Love does not insist on its own way.

Love doesn’t insist on watching certain TV shows, on eating certain kinds of food, on doing only certain kinds of activities. Love looks for ways to allow others to have their way.

We should be falling over each other in attempts to allow others their way, while refusing to have our own. Our Lord Jesus walked the painful and horrible road to the cross because He was willing to set aside His own will and do the will of someone else (the Father):

“Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42 RSV).

The entire life of the Christian should be about setting aside our own will, our own desires, our own needs even, and doing the will of the Father which means ministering to others by allowing them to have their way.

Burger King was wrong.

1 Corinthians 13:4b

“ . . . love is not jealous or boastful . . . “

We’ve already studied two aspects of love. Love suffers through pain and trials without complaining (patience). And love makes itself useful to others (kindness). These are positive attributes.

What’s interesting is that Paul places them in juxtaposition with two negative attributes, things that love isn’t.

Love is patient. Love is kind.
Love isn’t jealous. Love isn’t boastful.

• Love isn’t jealous.

The Greek word translated here “jealous” is “zeloo” and it has two connotations, one negative and the other positive. In other words, it’s an attribute that, in one situation, is good and in another bad.

“Zeloo” means both jealous and zealous. Both are strong emotions. Both have at their core earnest desire. In 1 Corinthians 12:31, Paul uses this same word to say “But earnestly desire the higher gifts.” And now, only a few sentences later, he uses it in another context: “Love is not jealous.” Motivation is everything.

What is it that we earnestly desire? We are told to earnestly desire the higher gifts, the better thing. And we are also told not to earnestly desire those things which interfere with love.

It all depends upon what we earnestly desire.

Our Lord Jesus admonished us not to “lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 RSV).

Where our treasure is determines whether or not we are zealous or jealous. If we are truly agape-loving, then our treasure doesn’t lie here on earth, but is stored in heaven. We realize that the true treasures of life are those lives who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. The rest is just “stuff” that will burn in the last days, “stuff” that we will leave behind when we graduate to heaven, “stuff” that has absolutely no importance in the broad scheme of things.

It’s always difficult when someone tells us that something “isn’t” something. It’s like saying “Don’t think about this” (and then all we can think about is that thing!). However, there is a positive side to this negative.

The Lord Jesus told us to focus on the treasure that is in heaven: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” If we refocus our priorities to cherishing those things which are important to Him (and, in the eternal scheme of things, important to us) and lay aside those things which have only momentary value, we can choose a love which isn’t jealous, but rather zealous for the things of God. Zealous, not jealous . . . that’s the parallel Paul is giving us.

• Love isn’t boastful.

The easiest way to be this love would simply be to keep quiet. But if we even boast in our minds, if we think ourselves superior in some way to others, we are boastful.

Paul realized this when he said:

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11 RSV)

It’s like this. Boasting is about comparisons. And comparisons are relative. If I compare myself as a cook to someone who doesn’t cook well, then certainly I have bragging rights. But if I compare my cooking skills to a top chef, then I have nothing to say for my cooking is mundane, ordinary, even useless.

Paul, early in chapter 3 of Philippians, lists his earthly accomplishments: Jewish (of God’s own people), a Pharisee (well-learned and studied), zealous beyond anyone else, blameless under Jewish law. To us these things might seem meaningless, but in Paul’s culture, he was the best of the best. There weren’t any higher achievements.

So, when Paul compares himself to his peers, he is at the top of the heap. But when he compares himself to Christ Jesus, he knows that everything he has done is nothing and means nothing. The only gain in his life was Christ and to be “found in Him.”

It’s like comparing rhinestones to diamonds. Rhinestones, lying in a jewelry case, are beautiful . . . until they are set next to a truly excellent diamond. Then their sparkle dims in the comparison.

Boasting is about comparing. When we boast, we choose to compare ourselves to someone who we know won’t stand up to the measure we are using. But when we stand in the presence of the One True God, our Savior and Lord, Christ Jesus, we know that we have no bragging rights. Everything we are, everything we have accomplished, and everything we will be is solely and only because of His plans for us, borne from His eternal and overwhelming love.

We have no room to boast.
Love is patient. Love is kind.
Love isn’t jealous. Love isn’t boastful.

Today, I choose to love.

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient and kind; RSV

Paul has just concluded the introduction to this section with the words “. . . have not love, I gain nothing.” In fact, he uses Jewish parallelism to make his point:

If I speak . . . but have not love, I am just a sound.
If I have . . . but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give . . . but have not love, I gain nothing.

I think (and this is simply my own thoughts, not the Word of God) that Paul is trying to say this: Without love, the Christian simply . . . isn’t a Christian. There is no Christian without love.

Our Lord Jesus said this: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35 RSV).

Thankfully, love is something we choose to do, not something that must well up from within us. In other words, we can be loving without feeling love. Love doesn’t have to be motivated by anything except the desire to be obedient to God. Isn’t that amazing? Rather than waiting around to feel loving toward someone, we can simply choose to act loving toward them (toward our families, toward other Christians, toward those around us).

I’m so glad that Paul gave a description of what love is, what it looks like. I’m a practical person. Don’t tell me to do something unless you tell me how to do it! Paul is telling us how to love.

• Love is patient.

We don’t use that word a lot anymore . . . patient. We use words like “respect, dignity, rights.” But we don’t use “patience” much anymore.

Patient: bearing pains or trials calmly and without complaint; enduring suffering without complaining

Wow! I know, using that definition, that I am far from patient. In fact, I seem to look for every opportunity to complain, to grip, to whine, to make my case. I don’t like to suffer, to endure pain, and I enjoy having people commiserate with me when I am suffering.

Patience is the decision to bear pains and trials calmly and without complaint. And if I want to be a loving Christian, I will make a decision to do this.

Think about how life would be if everyone decided to do this. First of all, we would have to change how we have conversations because much of our talk is peppered with complaints . . . about our bodies, about our jobs, about our families, about our lives. We would have to learn to focus on the positive, the good things . . . the blessings! And we would have to learn to suffer silently when we were misused, overlooked, or persecuted.

The Bible is filled with commands for us, as Christians, to rejoice . . . regardless of our circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 simply says to “Rejoice always.” More than that, both Paul and Peter talk about rejoicing in the middle of trials, while we are suffering:

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5 RSV).

“But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13 RSV).

There are many more scriptures about rejoicing. The fact is, we are not a joyful people. Oh, we know how to jump up and down and shout in church, but even in the church lobby we are complaining and grousing about our lives and the difficulties we are going through. Think how all that would change if we simply decided to become loving in this one thing!

To learn to be patient.

• Love is kind.

The Greek word for “kind” is defined this way: “to show oneself useful.” It’s not about some kind of empty sympathy that says, “Tsk, tsk,” and then goes one’s way. It’s about reaching out in true concern and doing something to help someone else.

James talks about this kind of empty “Christian-ness” (a lack of faith):

“What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:14-17 RSV).

When James talks about “faith” here, I really believe he is talking about that desire to ally oneself with Christianity (to be a Christian) which is, in a very real sense, the same thing Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 13 (love=being a Christian). James is so clear! If you are a Christian, you are kind; you are useful; you will put your concern into action.

That is true kindness. Kindness isn’t sympathizing. It’s helping. (And studying all this shows me how terribly unkind I truly am.) We all need to learn how to reach out, how to decide to be the kind Christians that God wants us to be.

Love is much more than a feeling, far much more than words. Love is about what we do without time, our resources, our lives.

1 Corinthians 13:1-7

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. RSV

Some Christians believe that a great sermon demonstrates the best of Christianity. Others believe it is demonstrated by great charitable acts. For others it’s publishing Christian books or being a lifelong missionary or being a popular conference speaker. In fact, in most ways, Americans judge another’s Christianity using secular measures (popularity, charisma, financial success, renown, etc.) rather than using the one measure given in scripture: love.

The thing is, Paul cuts down every other measure except love as a way to deem whether or not a Christian has actually met the mark.

• speak in tongues (in order to reach those that cannot be reached in one’s native language)
• prophetic powers (not only prophetic in a futuristic sense, but prophetic in the sense of dynamic preaching and teaching)
• understand all mysteries and all knowledge (including authors, speakers, teachers, professors, and anyone else who communicates to others)
• have all faith (the ability to do any kind of signs or miracles)
• give away all I have (the give of charity, the ability to live in poverty and yet minister to the poor)
• deliver my body to be burned (the ultimate sacrifice of giving one’s life completely for others)

These are amazing feats, these things that Paul lists. They are the stuff saints (in the secular sense) are made of. In fact, we often hear stories of people who achieve or sacrifice beyond the norm and we are astonished at their deeds.

“ . . . but have not love, I gain nothing.”

None of these deeds are meaningful in themselves. And every other deed, regardless how small, is equally meaningful if done with love. That is Paul’s point in this. Again (as we’ve noticed before), for God, our actions come down to our motivations. For even the greatest sinner can draw crowds, can do miracles, can live sacrificially. What is done for the sake of the wrong motivation remains . . . wrong.

I think that, as Christians, we need to ask ourselves on a daily, an hourly, a moment by moment basis, why we are doing what it is we are doing. Are we doing it to try to please someone (ourselves even), to achieve something? Then likely we are doing it for the wrong reasons. For love has as its author only One: Father God. And we love because He first loved us. For no other reason. In other words, love exists simply as an outpouring of our response to His love, as an outpouring of His Spirit in our lives to those around us. As Christians, our normal state should be to respond to the Spirit within by allowing Him to love.

Unfortunately, we too often get in the way of what God wants to do with us and through us. We live in such a state where our consciences are numbed (a state of unconscienceness, as it were) that we often don’t even know what this feels like or looks like, no less how to live it on any kind of consistent manner. We are so worried about getting for ourselves that the idea of living a life of sacrificial love is not only foreign, but actually scary to us. Think about it. How many roles models do we even actually know who live this way? Can anyone say “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” as Paul did (1 Corinthians 11:1)? And yet Paul is emphatic in his description of the futility of everything unless done through love.

In the 70's, many of us sang a song, “Let There Be Peace on Earth” ( words and music by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller, Circa 1955). The song ends with this line: “Let it begin with me.” It isn’t enough that we should expect those Christians around us to live through love. This day, this hour we need to say, “If the American Church is going to truly be Christian, then it needs to live the agape love of the Father and that love needs to begin with me.”

1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” RSV

Yesterday, we were in church and a church member, a wonderful bubbly lady, walked up to us to welcome us. She was unaware that we had been attending there for some time and was so glad that we were there. Her parting comment to us was, “This is such a beautiful place.”

As I sat there with my husband, I asked him, “I wonder what she sees ‘beautiful’ about it? The decor? The people? The doctrine? Why is she so enamored with this particular church?”

The question was even more poignant for me because we have been unhappy in this particular congregation. For awhile, I thought that maybe it was just us . . . until we were able to visit a church on our trip to Hawaii and realized that there really are churches where there is sincere worship, where there is good doctrine preached, where the people are really and truly friendly, and where one might worship in spirit and in truth.

So, here I’m sitting in this church and I suddenly realized: many churches in America and like the Hans Christian Anderson story of the Emperor’s new clothes. Do you remember this one?

(Paraphrased): There was an emperor who was terribly vain and only thought about his appearances. One day, two tailors (con men actually) came to him and told him that they could make him, not only the most wonderful clothes in the world, but clothes made up of a cloth that only those who were truly wise could see. Of course, everyone in the kingdom—wanting to prove their wisdom—claimed to be able to see the clothes (though no one, including the emperor could). Eventually a child cried out, “But the emperor has nothing on.”

The saddest part of the story is Anderson’s last line: “The emperor shuddered, for he knew that they were right, but he thought, ‘The procession must go on!’ He carried himself even more proudly, and the chamberlains walked along behind carrying the train that wasn't there.” (http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type1620.html#andersen)

I think that there are many, many Christians in America attending churches were they are desperately trying to convince themselves (and others) that what’s happening in that church is truly of the Lord, that it’s truly spiritual, that it’s truly “beautiful,” when in reality it’s simply nothingness.

We have traded reality for a fable . . . and we continue to live the lie because we believe that “the procession must go on.”

Paul, in much of the middle part of 1 Corinthians, gives a very elaborate description of what “church” should be like. First, in the last part of chapter 12, he describes the many faceted face of church: “God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues” (12:28 RSV). And yet, there are few churches where we actually see this kind of structure, where we see this kind of involvement of all the congregation members. Rather, we see church more as an us-and-them configuration. The “us” are the performers (those allowed on the platform) who plan the service for the “them,” the audience. Congregation members who aren’t in the “in” crowd are there for three purposes: (1) to give money, (2) to fill seats, and (3) to continue to perpetuate the “procession” by believing that the emperor is really dressed.

Think about it. My description may seem cynical, but not only is this the way the vast majority of churches are run, but this “format” is actually taught from the pulpit as being the biblical model. The “pastor” is supposed to “run” the church; it’s his responsibility to lead, to guide, to decide.

The emperor’s new clothes.

Paul gives us a very different model. He talks about a church in which everyone is gifted, everyone is involved, and not just for the purpose of providing a place where a few perform and the majority watch. In 1 Corinthians 14:26, Paul gives his conclusion (his summary description of “church”): “When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification” (RSV). Notice that Paul says “each one.”
Church was always intended to be a family event, a place where each person has both an opportunity and an obligation to bring something to the table. Think about a family gathering (around the table at Thanksgiving or Christmas). One person doesn’t plan a monologue to which all listen. Everyone brings news and discussion; everyone is involved, including even the youngest who get their fair share of attention.

The same is true of church . . . when it is done properly. And the basis is even more than this. Paul transitions, after his description in 12:28, to this: “And I will show you still a more excellent way.” It seems to me that Paul is describing first a basic kind of church, one where all participate. And then, he transitions to say, “There is even a better kind of gathering together, one based on something even higher than equality of participation.”

Paul realized that motivation is even more important than format. (Do we?) If we come together and the purpose is that >I< will have a chance to share, then I have missed the point. For Paul tells us that the purpose of coming together is to demonstrate something much greater than the idea of mutual participation:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

If I bring the best prophesy, the best teaching, the best song, the most compelling scripture, but I don’t have the kind of agape love that Jesus showed to me, then my words, my music, my sharing is . . . nothing! The true purpose of coming together is more than the fact that we all need to bring something (though that is important). The true purpose of coming together is that we might live out the kind of love toward each other that the Lord Jesus pours out onto us!

And then Paul describes that love: “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (13:4-7 RSV).

Are we this . . . ever? Are we patient and kind? Do we give to others sacrificially and support their achievements (rather than being jealous or boastful about our own)? Do we insist that others share . . . and have? Are we loving, forgiving, giving (or are we instead bitter, resentful, and angry)?

I think it’s very important to realize where Paul puts this teaching of “love” . . . right smack dab in the middle of his teaching about what “church” looks like. Why? Because when we come together, we are to practice these things so that they become more natural when we are away from the Body. In other words, we are supposed to be most loving when we are together so that, when we are apart, it’s easier to be loving to those others around us.

Is church this? Is church a place where we learn to all participate? Where we learn to be loving? Or is it a place where we meet with the “clique,” where things are familiar, where we do our Sunday-morning-obligation for the week?

I’m becoming more and more convinced that we are living in a day and age where church is like the emperor’s new clothes and there are very few who are honest enough to cry out, “But the emperor doesn’t have anything on!”