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The Many Faces of Love 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 I am so used to preaching on this text at weddings, that when I first saw that it was one of our lectionary readings for the day, I passed right over it and looked for something else to preach on. But then it occurred to me that not everyone gets the chance to hear this scripture because not everyone goes to as many weddings as I do. In fact, no one goes to as many weddings as I do. So the more I thought about this scripture, the more I liked the idea of using it on Sunday morning and not just on Saturday afternoons as 2 people come to begin their lives together with the blessing of God and the church. This new context for the text opens up new possibilities that I hope are insightful for us all today.

To place our reading in a context, notice that Paul is writing about love immediately after writing about spiritual gifts. In fact, this is a continuation of that theme meant specifically for the Corinthian people who apparently were fighting about whose gifts were more important. Paul has already tried to tell them that each person and their gifts is vital to the church and that no one is more important than another. But they seem to be pretty impressed by those who have the gift of tongues and the gift to interpret tongues, as well as the other gifts that are more spiritual in nature.

But in Paul’s mind, if the use of various gifts is causing dissension and trouble in the church, then he would rather those gifts not be used, because there is something greater at the heart of Christianity than speaking in tongues. The greatest thing that Paul has called the church to is love. Now he isn’t talking about any mushy romantic, see the world through rose colored glasses kind of love. Paul is talking about the radical, unconventional, not of this world love that Jesus exemplified for us.

The love the Jesus embodied was a pure love that never ended. It was a love that was so thorough that it would even go as far as and even beyond giving one’s life for the loved. Now there may be people here who would be willing to die for their spouse or children or someone else they were especially close to. And believe me, to die for anyone is a radical kind of love. But take that another step further and ask yourself if you are willing to die even for those who hate you, and you can understand the nature of Jesus’ love.

Jesus knew what he was doing. He understood he was the sacrifice for all people including those who were doing the killing. He told us elsewhere, that he had come to save the lost sheep, so in a way his love was far beyond that of most people.

Paul describes some of the finer points of that love for us in our text. Since it is a type of love that is so foreign to the world and to human reality, notice how Paul actually must resort to telling us what love is not. I think that in doing that, Paul’s message is much more powerful, because it forces us to see our own relationships in their true light. Let’s look at some aspects of the love Jesus lived and that Paul preaches.

First Paul shows us that the old saying, "the end justifies the means" just doesn't cut it when we’re dealing with radical love. You can have all sorts of spiritual gifts and you can do all kinds of good deeds including giving away all your possessions, but if you are not motivated by love, if love doesn’t under-gird all you do and all you are, then it’s all nothing. I hope that is an eye opening thought that leads us all to question our motivations. Do we act out of love or out of greed? Out of love or out of fear? Out of love or out of pride or jealously or guilt? What you do and how you do it mean nothing if they aren’t based in love.

Next Paul tells us a little more about love. Its patient, kind, rejoicing in truth, bearing all things, full of hope and endurance. Is that how our love for one another looks? Certainly not perfectly, but I believe the level of faith and spiritual maturity in this church is allowing the Holy Spirit to move us closer to that pure love that Jesus practiced. Ask someone like Bonnie about how much love is in this church and she can tell you. But of course we need to do much more. We need to show that love for one another at all times, not just when someone is most in need of it.

Paul says that love is not envious, boastful, arrogant or rude. It’s not about getting your own way or being resentful or angry. While I may see some traces of these things among us, for the most part they aren’t chronic, but instead are isolated instances. In fact, I think with a little more growth, we might even become known as a loving church that truly cares for one another and bears each other’s burdens.

But the most powerful sentence in Paul’s message about love and perhaps the most important sentence ever written is in the 1st part of vs. 8. Its only 3 little words, but they say it all. "Love never ends." If you have the true love of Jesus in your heart, there is nothing beyond your reach including heaven. This world and all that is in it will eventually pass away, but love never ends. How loving is your life? In what situations are you best able to show love? More importantly, in what situations are you least able to show love? Sometimes that may be with the people we supposedly love the most.

One of the best things about Jesus was that he loved everyone equally. Sometimes that love had to be tough like when he was dealing with Sadducees and the Pharisees who were so hostile to his message, and sometimes that love was kind and compassionate like when he was on the cross between 2 criminals.

But no matter what the situation, Jesus acted out of love. I think of my own life and how when the pressure is on I am not as loving as I am otherwise. Or when I am in pain or even mild discomfort, it is much more difficult to be loving to others because my tendency is to focus on myself not God. How easy it is for us to slip in and out of the kind of love that Jesus exhibited. But always remember that true, radical love never ends. It never stops and it never pauses. We need to desire that same kind of love. When you come to the communion table today, ask God to fill your heart and your life with the radical love of Jesus. Amen.

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