"Called to Love" I Corinthians 13: 1-13; Deuteronomy 6: 1-9

When I first began in ministry, I Corinthians was the go-to passage for weddings, and it still is (except for occasionally a couple that absolutely does not want to use it because "everyone uses it at weddings!").  Maybe ten years ago (maybe longer), a family asked if I thought it was appropriate to use at a memorial service.  In that case, it was a mother/grandmother who was dearly loved by her family, and they thought this passage fit the love she had shared with them.  Since that time, I have probably used this passage a dozen times at memorials services for similar reasons.  Certainly, Paul was not writing this passage about a married couple, or for that matter about familial relationships.  He was commenting on how people ought to live their lives in relationship with one another, with the immediate context being the church relationships that they share.

IN our Book of Order, we Presbyterians hold that "The church is to be a community of love, where sin is forgiven, reconciliation is accomplished, and the dividing walls of hostility are torn down." That becomes a pretty good working definition of love.

The Deuteronomy passage reminds us that the emphasis on love is not new to Paul's writings.  Love of God and love of neighbor are foundational to how God's people should relate to God and to one another.

I may have mentioned before that I have friend who always says, "I love you," when he says good-bye.  At times I have found that rather disconcerting.  In my mind, "I love you" signified serious commitment, and it always felt weird (still does) to have him say that to me when we parted ways.   Perhaps he has a better grasp of the type of relationships to which Paul calls us, or at least he puts it into words.

As I reflect on this passage in our time when fear of what others are going to do to us and concern about protecting ourselves from others seems to be a high priority, how do we hear this message of love.  Are we absolved of the call to love if people do not love us back?  Is it legitimate to leave Paul's message in the context of the church and not extend it to others in our world?  how do you hear the call to love in our world today?