Love, Prophecy, and Resurrection

Week Five - Day 5

Today's Reading

1 Corinthians 13:1--15:58

We start today's reading with the familiar "hymn of love" (chapter 13). It contains some of the themes that Paul writes about of his own experience of tongues and prophecies, of patience and kindness, of not being envious or boastful or rude.  Although it ties in to what Paul is saying, it seems somewhat foreign to the rest of this letter.  Rather than addressed directly to issues within the community, it is highly poetic and worshipful in nature and tone.  It has the feel of something that was inserted in the middle of his discussion of spiritual gifts that began in chapter 12 and which picks up again in chapter 14.

It is interesting that this "hymn of love," so strategically tied to spiritual gifts, is a popular choice for inclusion in many wedding ceremonies, where I doubt it is heard in the context of which it was intended.  The end of the hymn is the declaration that love is greater than faith and hope.  Isn't that what every bride and groom want to hear, that their love is above all else?  What they don't hear is the very next verse in Paul's letter (14:1) that says, "Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophecy."  Love is not about whispering sweet-nothings in the ear of your beloved, it is about living more fully and proclaiming more boldly the ways of God.

And how is this done?  By seeking those spiritual gifts that build up the Body of Christ, that open up the good news to new believers, and by recognizing that those things that have their seed in the physical world are meant to blossom into that which is heavenly.