4 Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, 5 it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, 6 it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will be brought to an end. As for tongues, they will stop. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end.
Reflection
Have you ever gotten lost? I have. Even with using GPS to navigate to a place in another state, I’ve ended up in a parking lot looking through a chain link fence at my destination on the opposite side of the road, separated by a six lane highway, with no idea how to get to there. Obviously, I had not “reached my destination!”
The Apostle Paul was writing to the church at Corinth because they had lost their way. In addition to all the political and cultural issues found in Roman society, this multi-cultural church was tearing itself apart over many issues that the early church struggled with on a daily basis, and that we still struggle with today. There was infighting between the leadership and their factions over which leader to follow. There was classism between elite rich converts and
the struggling poor converts. There were disputes over Paul’s teachings on the resurrection of the body, proper worship, spiritual gifts, women leading worship and the celebration of the Eucharist. There was sexual immorality. In short, the Church at Corinth had gone off the path that Paul had laid out for them and they were lost, because they were not following what Jesus taught us, to love God and to love others (Luke 10:12) This is how we follow the way of love.
Paul tells the church at Corinth that their lives should reflect the love of God, and that without the love of God, “I’m nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:2) Paul says that love “isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth.” Our actions to stop injustice show our belief that God’s love is transformational. Loving others without action is just a feeling where nothing changes. When we act out of the love that God has shown us through Jesus, it changes us, so that we can become agents of change to call out and correct injustice in the world. And we’re not called
to follow the way of love by ourselves. This is God’s love that grows out of the faith com-munity to engage with the world, as the living body of Christ, with acts of compassion for the poor and the marginalized, while working for justice in the world. John Wesley, founder of
Methodism, named this call to faith and love in action as a community, social holiness. Rev. Susan Henry Crowe, of the UMC General Board of Church and Society says, “When Wesley says that holiness is social he means that the depth of your love for God is revealed by the way you love whom God loves.”
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
If we don’t want to get lost, and arrive at our destination of a transformed world, we need to follow Jesus and the way of love, by putting our faith into action. We live out our faith by loving God, and loving others in fellowship with our faith community. This is a process where we will struggle against injustice together, and, with God’s help, we will succeed. Because as Paul says “Love puts up with all things, trusts all things, hopes for all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
How does your faith community work against injustice? What part do you play in
the work for justice? In what ways is the depth of your love for God, revealed by how you love others?
Prayer: Holy and Loving God, keep us on the path that follows Jesus, loving you and loving others. Help us to not give up as we struggle together to fight injustice so that the world will be transformed by your love. Amen.
