WITHOUT LOVE

(This is an exerpt of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 5/12/13)

“Though I understand all mysteries and all knowledge…. but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2)

This text is familiar to many of us because it is a part of what has come to be known as the “love chapter” in the Bible.  It is not uncommon for couples who are preparing to get married to scan the Bible for a scripture text that they wish to be read at their wedding ceremony, to park here are at 1 Corinthians 13 at these marvelous and challenging words attributed to the Apostle Paul.

There is no evidence that Paul intended for 1 Corinthians to become known as the “love chapter,” and the “wedding poem,” but upon close examination, his words speak to the very nature of love for those seeking to be in relationship within the context of the church, and for those of us seeking to understand love in our daily lives. 

On at least five occasions in this particular text, Paul juxtaposes love against various and sundry actions and activities that the people of his day might have understood and to which they might relate.  Paul here talks about the many gifts of the people of Corinth – gifts of tongues of mortals and of angels, gifts of prophecy, gifts of wisdom, gifts of faith, and gifts of charity.  But Paul shares that without love, none of these gifts really mean anything.  

It’s clear that the apostle in writing to the Christians in Corinth, admired their skill and giftedness (1 Co. 1:4-7).  Paul affirmed that their church was characterized by miracles, changed lives and shared powerful testimonies (1 cor. 6;9-11)  They were rich in knowledge and not lacking any gift (1 Cor. 1:5-7).  The Corinthian people were a blessed people in the Lord.

But Paul here offers a challenge to the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 11:17-22).  Indeed, they were doing a lot in the name of Jesus, and God was at work in their lives together, but they were negligent in the area of offering common courtesy to one another.  This miracle-minded church was missing one essential element of faith – that being love.  They were without love.  And without love, all of the knowledge, all of the gifts, all of the organizational skill, all of the resource- gathering that they could muster really served to little effect.

It’s as true today as it was 2000 years ago.  When love is missing, our life together is incomplete.  Indeed sometimes people today are like the Corinthians to whom Paul wrote.  There are times when we in the church today get so caught up in our doing, we get so caught up in trying to make things perfect and right, that we neglect the most important element of perfection in God’s sight, that being love. 

If anything, the text should cause us to reflect on the impact of the lack of love on the church and society today.  Without love we witness rising levels of violence and poverty in our midst.  Without love we experience rising divorce rates and domestic abuse.  Without love we experience child neglect and exploitation.  Without love we witness political strife and economic oppression.  Without love we encounter wars and rumors of wars.  Without love we find strife and conflict even in the church. 

So it’s good every now and then to stop and examine ourselves in light of God’s command, God’s divine expectation that we love one another.

There’s the story of some seminary students who were asked to preach a sermon on the parable of the Good Samaritan.  On the day the students were scheduled to preach, each one was deliberately delayed en route to class.  As the students raced across campus, they encountered a person who pretended to be in need.  Ironically, not one of the students stopped to help.

We as Christians preach the most powerful sermons when we live what we say we

believe – when we demonstrate love to others, and not just talk about it – when our lives become the gospel – when we heed the words of St. Francis of Assisi and preach the Gospel always, and use words when necessary – when we walk the walk, and practice what we preach and say we believe..

Paul helps us, then in beautiful poetic form by setting out to define for the church at Corinth and for us, what love really is.  He says, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.  Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.  It does not rejoice in wrongdoing; it rejoices in truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, and endures all things.  Love never fails.

Without love, the face of God is hard to find – but with love, God can be seen.

This love is really the love that God demonstrated for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Maybe God looked down over time and realized without a demonstration of love, we would not know how to love one another.  So we’re told in the book of John that God so loved the world that God gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life.

Without love, we might not have known how to love each other.  But with love, with Christ, God has given us a model of how to treat each other right.  Jesus loves the world so much that he gave his life for you and me.  That’s love.