Just a Second Hand Emotion?

Marc Chagall, The Exodus, 1966

For almost every wedding, many funerals and memorial services, there is a request to hear the familiar thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Often referred to as the love chapter, this passage concludes:

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. 

In our times, love is a word that is in desperate need of recovery from so much abuse and misuse. Hackneyed to the hilt, love has become much understood. Yet, we still utter it indiscriminately. In the original Greek of the text, the Apostle Paul used a very specific word for love here. There are three other Greek words that can be translated into the single English word love. They all have different meanings and, consequently, specific ramifications.  So, Paul used one of the four.  And the one was ἀγάπη agapē - (affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love).

Interestingly, Paul uses the same word for love in the passage we will ponder together on Sunday morning during our Faith Formation Forum.

. . . God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast.  (Ephesians 2:4-9)

Here is something to think about in the meantime. Is the love that you experience more often unconditional or conditional? Have you experienced love as a gift or as a reward? As you consider your spiritual well-being keep in mind the question that Tina Turner (in a different context!) so famously asks, What's love got to do with it?

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I spent part of Ash Wednesday afternoon at a local Starbucks nursing a Venti coffee of the day while making myself available to impose ashes on interested inquirers. It was a good experience.  Most of my time there involved conversations with folks who just wanted to talk and share. So I listened much of the time. The experience reminds me of the need to be intentional about getting out of my comfort zone. Being present in public with the unfamiliar, unknown, and unexpected is part of our call as Church. I hope to reflect more on this and share my thoughts here more thoroughly in future posts.  

Meanwhile, this Sunday is the Second Sunday in Lent.  Here are some particulars for your preview:

Prayer of the Day

God of the covenant, in the mystery of the cross you promise everlasting life to the world. Gather all peoples into your arms, and shelter us with your mercy, that we may rejoice in the life we share in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Readings and Psalm

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 

Psalm 27 

Philippians 3:17--4:1 

Luke 13:31-35 

When was the last time you were amazed?