But now faith, hope, and love remain; these three virtues must
characterize our lives. The greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
(The Voice Translation)
So far this week, you have played with the words: faith and
hope. To be sure, these
two words can be partners or sometimes in tension. We might cling to these words with tight
fists or watch them flutter away the second we let go of our grasp. Let’s add one more word: love,
which Paul says is the greatest. He is
borrowing from his Jewish upbringing in the Shema of Deuteronomy 6, where the
prayer prayed each day is to love God with all your heart, soul,
and life. Side note: Paul spent all of
chapter 12 in 1 Corinthians arguing against rating and ranking; only do that at
the end of chapter 13!! Sigh, but this
does remind us that our human-size lives are always full of
contradictions!
How has love held you in the past?
When has love been like a safety net, and when has love failed you or
you fallen through that net because of a hole that was too large? When was the last time you felt fully
loved? Does love feel different now than
as a teenager? How has our cultural
gospel of romantic love overshadowed the communal connection of God’s love that
tethers us together impacted how you read/think/view this word?
I know that is a lot of questions!
You may take just one of the above.
Or go back through the people you listed with each place you lived from
week one and draw a heart around those who embodied love for you. Who helped you hold onto love in times of
stress and strain? In what ways might
love have a chemical reaction with hope and faith that Paul lays out in the
formula of 1 Corinthians? May your ponderings
today bring smiles to your face and strangely warm your heart in beautiful
ways. Amen.
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