If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part,but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13
Blessings can come from expected and unexpected places. This past week, I would have normally been at the Leadership Institute at the Church of the Resurrection in Leewood Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. Obviously that conference was online this year. I have been blessed to go to this conference several times, and every time I come away refreshed, renewed, and excited about ministry. This time I wasn’t so sure about going, with it all being online. Then I remembered that our keynote speaker was going to be Bishop Michael Curry from the Episcopal church. You may remember him from delivering the sermon at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Bishop Curry spoke of power of love and what it means to be the church today. He spoke of the profound division we face as a country right now. He spoke on how love is how we stay decent during indecent times. He spoke of how we are a country segregated by zip codes. He also spoke of the racial divide we are experiencing; he also spoke of hope and love.
He preached on Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. He reminded us how divided the church in Corinth was and how Paul told them that they needed to basically get over themselves and learn to live together. How do they do that – they love. They need to love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. For as Paul stated, if you do not have love you are nothing but a noisy gong.
If we don’t show love, our words mean nothing. This is how we turn chaos into community, love. The church needs to be in the forefront in showing love to our larger community. Bishops Curry’s words gave me hope, refreshed my spirit, and gave me hope for our country and for the future. One day I hope to be able to share his speech, sermon for a class. What caught me by surprise is that I was crying tears of hope after he was done talking. Remember that I was watching him speak on my computer, not in person. We have hope in Christ and when we live out our faith, we can help to bring community out of Chaos.
Bishop Curry has a new book out called “Love is the Way; Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times” I haven’t had the chance to start reading it yet, but I would highly recommend it. You will be blessed.
Gracious and loving God, we are so blessed. We are blessed to be in relationship with you. We are blessed to have the example of your son Jesus on how to love others. We are blessed to have your love, mercy, and grace. Create in us a heart that wants to share that love, grace, and mercy with others in tangible ways. Give us courage to listen and act to your nudges. Be with those who are struggling right now, in a variety of ways, and help us to be able to there for them as well.
Amen
Stay well, stay connected and be the hope you wish to see in the world.
Suzanne