A Most Excellent Way – sermon on May 1, 2016
1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
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.
Sermon: A Most Excellent Way by Rev. Doreen Ougthon
The Narrative Lectionary offers for our consideration today the well-known passage of the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians, Paul’s beautiful words on love. I added in what comes right before it, because I think it is important to understand the context of these words as they were first written. Paul is writing to a church he founded that is now experiencing a great deal of conflict. From what is written, we can take a pretty good guess at the source of conflict. The people of the Corinthian church, like Jesus’ apostles in their day, are arguing about who is the greatest – who has the most important gift of the spirit. Just prior to this Paul is emphasizing that they are one body, and that of course the body is made up of many parts, and all parts are needed. He says, “Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body,” and ‘The eye cannot say to the hand, I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ ” So perhaps some people coming in were excluding themselves because they couldn’t do what others were doing, or perhaps some who felt their own gift ought to be central to worship were discouraging others who didn’t have or appreciate that gift. Perhaps some were saying, “We are a church which focuses on the power of the Spirit – so if you don’t speak or interpret tongues, perhaps this is not the place for you.” And others pipe up about how they have the gift of healing or prophecy, and that kind of power can’t be dismissed. And my guess is that the people excited about tongues were the ones Paul was least impressed with. Perhaps it wasn’t one of his gifts. But after he tells them how all parts are important, he gives them his own rank-ordering of who God has placed in the church. Paul says that first are the apostles. Whether he means the original 12 plus himself, or anyone who goes out to bring the good news, I am not sure. Coming in second are the prophets, those who will speak to the people on behalf of God, and to God on behalf of the people. So first is bringing the good news, and second is helping people see where they are missing the mark, where God would call them to behave differently. Third are the teachers. Teachers of scripture, I wonder? Only then come the miracle workers and healers. Then those who help – maybe caring for the widows and children, and finally, in last place, are those who speak in tongues.
He goes on to say that of course everyone can’t do everything, but that all should strive for the higher gifts. I hear this as saying, “don’t be so excited about speaking in tongues. Strive instead to speak prophetically or spread the good news. And if you can’t do that, feed the hungry for goodness sake!” And then, then he says, “yet I will show you the most excellent way.” And that most excellent way is to do whatever you do grounded in divine love. This pushing people around, boasting of your own gifts while denigrating another’s, this envy and pride over gifts of the spirit – these things are not grounded in love, and so they lead you no closer to the kindom.
One of the commentators said something interesting, which was that it is the love that is all that perfection – patient and kind and trusting and hopeful. She hears not a demand that she be all those things all the time, but that she remember that God’s love is all those things and is always there for her to draw on. When she is impatient or unkind, but remembers love, she can draw upon that love. She is not expected to be constantly serene and peaceful. But when she is discouraged or angry, maybe even feeling hopeless, she can remember that love bears all things and hopes all things, and she can draw on that hope and forbearance. God’s love is the deepest of wells, a fountain ever springing. It is always available for us to draw from. We might keep record of wrongs, or rejoice in wrongdoing, but love doesn’t. We might be self-seeking at times, but love isn’t. And love will never give up on us or this world or anyone else.
Paul goes on to talk about how little we really see, how little we can really know. We are like children when it comes to understanding the ways of love – and not the child-like openness that helps us into the kindom, more in terms of immaturity and partial understanding. Some concepts, some ways of being are just beyond us. But this most excellent way that Paul wants to show us is the way of faith, hope and love. I came across a saying that hope is patience with self, faith is patience with God, and love is patience with others. And the greatest of these is love. May it be so.
