Hello Gloria Dei,
Today is Valentine’s Day. My wife Lorrie and I don’t usually spend a lot of time or money preparing for Valentine’s Day. Our Wedding Anniversary is earlier in February, so our focus is on the Anniversary rather than Valentine’s Day.
Yet, as many celebrate “Love,” let me simply remind you of the Apostle Paul’s beautiful description of love as found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. We hear these words read at many weddings, and they are certainly appropriate reminders for the bride and groom.
However, the original context of Paul’s writing is not a context of romantic love. The newly formed 1st Century Christian congregation in Corinth was experiencing conflict. There were arguments taking place and factions being formed. And Paul didn’t like what he was hearing. So, he wrote them a letter.
In the letter he identifies some of the issues and calls on these early Christians to come together as one body in Christ, all with different, yet important gifts to share. And then he writes these words:
And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am just a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
And now, faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
–1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:13
Whether you are celebrating Valentines Day or not, please read and ponder the words of Paul from the book of 1 Corinthians. These words echo the words of Jesus to love God and love others with patience and kindness. Not displaying arrogance or rudeness. The world is a better place when you and I as individuals, and we as a country and a world, allow these words to direct our motivations and our actions.
I pray you will know God’s love in your life this day and always and that you reflect this kind of love to all whom you encounter.
For worship this weekend please read Luke 6:17-26.
And just a reminder that we are offering one-on-one visits regarding our Capital Campaign with the goal of eliminating our mortgage debt and preparing for future expansion.
In addition, if you’d prefer, we are offering 25-minute opportunities for anyone to come and hear more in a group setting and to ask any questions you may have. We will meet on scheduled Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays. The schedule for these group opportunities is as follows:
- Sundays from 10:00 to 10:25 a.m.
- February 16 (this Sunday)
- February 23
- March 2
- March 9
- Saturdays from 6:00 to 6:25 p.m.
- February 15 (this Saturday)
- February 22
- Wednesdays from 6:00 to 6:25 p.m.
- February 19 (this Wednesday)
- February 26
I ask that you make one of these dates a priority for you to learn and participate in these important conversations about the future possibilities for Gloria Dei.
See you in worship,
Pastor Tim
