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First Lesson: Jeremiah 1: 4-10 Responsive Reading: Psalm 71: 1-6 Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13 Gospel Lesson: Luke 4: 21-30 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Once upon a time, there was a wife as mad at her husband as any wife could be[1]. She goes to see her minister, where she proceeded to go on and on about all her husband’s terrible qualities. The wife’s hatred is made-known as she declares; “I not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me[2].” The minister then proceeded to suggest what seemed to be a genius plan to grant her wishes. “I want you to go home, and I want you to act as if you really love your husband. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him[3]!” After you’ve spent weeks convincing him of all this, then you will drop the bombshell, how you demand a divorce! You will truly crush him at this point! The wife then thinks the minister’s plan is absolutely brilliant! She promises to call the minister back once she goes through with this plan. So the wife goes home does exactly as the minister instructed. For the next two months, she sought to be as loving, kind, honoring, patience, and selfless as she could be. The minister never hears back from the wife. Finally out of curiosity, he decides to call her to find how things are going. The minister asks about her divorce from her hated husband? The wife scoffs “Divorce? Never! I’ve discovered I really do love him[4].” Her new understanding of love had permanently changed their marriage! Today’s Epistle lesson seeks to do the same thing to members of the Corinthian Church[5]. As I talked about last week the church in Corinth was in conflict. At the roots of the conflict was whether certain members of the church who spoke in the secret prayer language of tongues were extra special within the Kingdom of God[6]. Paul seeks to redirect their focus as Christian people instead. He seeks to point out that the Christian life is not about accumulating rewards, but rather how your love can lift those around you. Paul seeks to begin by making the point that love is indeed the most valued of all gifts within the Christian church. “If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal[7].” The gift of love given unto others like in the opening story of the woman, the minister, and her husband highlight love’s power to permanently redeem from even the most hopeless of circumstances. Once upon a time, there was a young woman who ran far, far away from home because her father was an alcoholic[8]. She vowed never to speak to him again! The years afterward, she becomes a Christian. She then decides that her calling as a Christian woman is to move back home, so her father may be well again! Everyone who heard her speak of this was in shock? She had previously described her father as the meanest man; she had ever met! Someone asked her: “What will you do when he finds fault with all your efforts to please him.” She replied: “I will try a little harder[9].” They then asked: “Yes but when is unreasonable and unkind you will be tempted to lose your temper, and answer him angrily. What will you do then?” The daughter replied: “Pray a little harder[10].” Finally hoping to get this woman to finally give up hope they asked: “What if he is as awful as you can imagine. Won’t you regret going home? What could you do but leave[11]?” Only for the Christian daughter to end the conversation by declaring: “Love him a little harder[12].” The daughter does go home. Things were far from perfect. The daughter then kept praying, kept patient, kept loving, and her previously lost father saw first-hand the power of salvation[13]. Paul begins our passage by establishing Love as the highest of Christian callings. Paul continues our scripture lesson by defining “love” within a Christian context. Now 1st Corinthians 13 is most commonly read at weddings. While 1st Corinthians 13 gives good advice to a Bride and Groom to be: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast, it is not proud. 1st Corinthians 13 was not written with marital love in mind[14]. Paul’s whole point is instead within the Christian community how love is often uncomfortable. Love’s calling will put you in the presence of undesirables. Love is not about your emotions in any given moment; love is instead the highest of callings especially when it is the most difficult. Once upon a T.V. reporter was on assignment in Israel[15]. A bomb explodes, and a mass of people are wounded. Through the crowd comes a man carrying a severely injured little girl. The man begged the reporter to help get the girl to a hospital. He thought that as a member of the press, the reporter would be able to get through the security line that the police had formed. The reporter agrees. He brings the man and what appeared to be his daughter in his car to the hospital. Both the reporter and man were unsure whether the girl would survive. They eventually arrive at the hospital. They wait together to get the news regarding the girls’ fate. Eventually, the doctor regrets to inform them that the girl had died. The man collapsed in the reporter’s arms sobbing. The reporter then starts trying to comfort the man: “I don’t know what to say. I can’t imagine what you must be going through. I’ve never lost a child[16].” The man turns to the reporter to say: “That girl was not my daughter. I’m an Israeli settler. She was a Palestinian. But there comes a time when each of us must realize that every child, regardless of that child’s background, is a daughter or a son. There must come a time when we realize that we are all one family[17].” Paul closes our Gospel lesson that Love shall outlast time itself. Paul confesses within our lesson that he hasn’t always loved like should: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” Love though is more powerful than any imperfection within our life. Paul closes our lesson that even at those times when our world seems to be ending. “Love never fails[18] “. Love will outlast tongues, prophecies, and even knowledge itself. Love will survive even the end of the world. Our lesson closes with the following promise: ‘And now these three (things) remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love[19].” Once upon a time, there was a little boy who had a sister who needed a blood transfusion[20]. Her blood type was rare, and her brother was the best possible match. The doctor then begins to explain the procedure to the boy explaining that without the transfusion that his sister would die. The doctor finally asks the boy: “Would you be brave for your sister?” The boy began to think it over, before finally cracking a smile saying” Sure, for my sister,” I’ll do it.” The two siblings were then wheeled into the hospital room. Mary was pale and thin, whereas Johnny was looking robust and healthy[21]. He watched as blood as came out of his sister, down a clear plastic tube. Johnny finally turns to the Doctor as says: “Doctor, when do I die[22]?” for Mary. Johnny didn’t quite understand the procedure in that giving his blood didn’t mean losing his life. Johnny did understand love. Johnny believed that his love for Mary was so great that was willing to die to save her. Paul’s point to the Corinthians is that they have already received the greatest of love that can be given upon a cross[23]. A love that not only changes lives, a love that forgives us, and a love that can resurrect from the grave itself. Human love is an imperfect comparison to the love of God given unto us. It is this love that shall ultimately heal all broken relationships between not only individuals, but families, and ultimately nations. Love is not merely an emotion that wavers depending on the moment; Love is a promise given by our savior unto one’s own death itself. “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”-1 Peter 1:18-19. Love cannot only change our world; Love made most fully known in Christ Jesus will ultimately change the world that is to come. Amen [1] Petersen, J. Allan. “Love.” Sermon Illustrations. Web. Jan.24.2019. [2] Petersen, J. Allan. “Love.” Sermon Illustrations. [3] Petersen, J. Allan. “Love.” Sermon Illustrations. [4] Petersen, J. Allan. “Love.” Sermon Illustrations. [5] 1st Corinthians 13:1-13. [6] Mast, Stan. “1 Corinthians 13:1-13.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids. 25.Jan.2016. Web. Jan.24.2019. [7] 1st Corinthians 13:1 [8] New Illustrator. “Love's Persistence.” More Illustrations. Jan.24.2019. [9] New Illustrator. “Love's Persistence.” More Illustrations. [10] New Illustrator. “Love's Persistence.” More Illustrations. [11] New Illustrator. “Love's Persistence.” More Illustrations. [12] New Illustrator. “Love's Persistence.” More Illustrations. [13] New Illustrator. “Love's Persistence.” More Illustrations. [14] Suk Kim, Yung. “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 3.Feb.2019. Web. Jan.24.2019. [15] Higgins, Scott. “We Are All Family – A Story About Loving One’s Enemy.” Stories for Preaching. Jan.24.2019. [16] Higgins, Scott. “We Are All Family – A Story About Loving One’s Enemy.” Stories for Preaching. [17] Higgins, Scott. “We Are All Family – A Story About Loving One’s Enemy.” Stories for Preaching. [18] 1 Corinthians 13:8. [19] 1st Corinthians 13:13. [20] Higgins, Scott. “When Do I Die?” Stories for Preaching. Web. Jan.24.2019. Taken from Robert Coleman’s Written in Blood. [21] Higgins, Scott. “When Do I Die?” Stories for Preaching. [22] Higgins, Scott. “When Do I Die?” Stories for Preaching. [23] Peterson, Brian. “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 31.Jan.2016. Web. Jan.24.2019. Comments are closed.
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