¹If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
⁴Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; ¹⁰but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. Second Reading 1 Corinthians (13:1-3) 13:4-13

Recently I officiated a wedding and, as usual, read this passage.  Paul’s “Love Passage” is one of the most popular scriptures ever, and is read at many weddings.

But Paul did not write this for wedding ceremonies, rather to remind us all that servant love (Agape love) is the love Jesus had for us, and we should have for each other.  Servant love calls us to care for those in need.  Servant love calls us to be forgiving.  Servant love reminds us to not hold grudges.

Servant love is hard.  It is very hard.  But servant love is worth it, for it is the love of Christ.

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Peace,

Pastor Bill