Epiphany 4 / Ordinary Time 4
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
... if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
-- 1 Corinthians 13:3
This chapter has been read in weddings so often that it is difficult to extract it from that context and hear it freshly. It is important to recall the context in which Paul placed it in this letter. It was not the romantic love between two individuals of which Paul spoke but the glue that enabled a congregation to transcend petty jealousies and rivalries. Given the tragic factionalism that is affecting the Christian church in our time, and the excessive emphasis on technique as the Savior of the church, it may be important to hear Paul's words addressing our churches.
In the previous chapter, Paul has been speaking about spiritual gifts and the necessity of not seeing one set of gifts as more important than others in the overall functioning of the congregation. He concluded chapter 12 by saying, "And I will show you a still more excellent way." He then made reference to some of the more prominent spiritual gifts that are manifested in congregations such as speaking in tongues, having prophetic powers, showing great wisdom, and the willingness to demonstrate the power of one's faith through making great personal sacrifices. Individuals and religious communities continue to be powerfully impressed by those who can demonstrate some version of such gifts. Yet, repeatedly, we discover that such powerful witnesses can become tragically distorted and destructive unless they are channeled by a transcending love that seeks to serve others rather than self.
If Jesus clarified that God's way is a way of relationships with God and neighbor, then Paul was providing the practical prism through which we should measure our attempt to live in God's way. In the same way that Jesus' love was demonstrated in his willingness to be a servant to others, so the church is invited to trust God enough to risk itself for the sake of others.
-- 1 Corinthians 13:3
This chapter has been read in weddings so often that it is difficult to extract it from that context and hear it freshly. It is important to recall the context in which Paul placed it in this letter. It was not the romantic love between two individuals of which Paul spoke but the glue that enabled a congregation to transcend petty jealousies and rivalries. Given the tragic factionalism that is affecting the Christian church in our time, and the excessive emphasis on technique as the Savior of the church, it may be important to hear Paul's words addressing our churches.
In the previous chapter, Paul has been speaking about spiritual gifts and the necessity of not seeing one set of gifts as more important than others in the overall functioning of the congregation. He concluded chapter 12 by saying, "And I will show you a still more excellent way." He then made reference to some of the more prominent spiritual gifts that are manifested in congregations such as speaking in tongues, having prophetic powers, showing great wisdom, and the willingness to demonstrate the power of one's faith through making great personal sacrifices. Individuals and religious communities continue to be powerfully impressed by those who can demonstrate some version of such gifts. Yet, repeatedly, we discover that such powerful witnesses can become tragically distorted and destructive unless they are channeled by a transcending love that seeks to serve others rather than self.
If Jesus clarified that God's way is a way of relationships with God and neighbor, then Paul was providing the practical prism through which we should measure our attempt to live in God's way. In the same way that Jesus' love was demonstrated in his willingness to be a servant to others, so the church is invited to trust God enough to risk itself for the sake of others.
