Devotion for February 1, 2016

Monday: And yet I will show you the most excellent way… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 12:31b, 13:13).

            1 Corinthians 13 is most familiar because of its use at weddings. However, in it’s context, there isn’t a wedding in sight. Paul is not talking about marriage. He’s talking about the church. The issue in Corinth is that the church is deeply divided between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” The haves—those who are socially or economically upscale, who have a lot of power and respect in the world, who seem very gifted—are lording over the have-nots and the have-nots are jealous. In speaking to this deeply fractured church, Paul writes his great love chapter.

            And the takeaway is straightforward. Love is the defining characteristic of the church. It’s in the practice of love—selfless, generous love—that the church grows up to be the church.

            I think that’s important. If faith is the defining characteristic of the church, then the church collapses into my experience with God. If hope is the defining characteristic of the church, then the church is nothing but a wish for a better future. But if love is the defining characteristic of the church, then my brothers and sisters in Christ are important (in addition to my personal faith) and my life in this time and place is important (in addition to my hope for the future).

            I wonder what would happen if congregations everywhere reflected on this fact, that love is the chief virtue of the church.