Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

In last Sunday’s News and Notes, I invited our congregation to read two chapters of I Corinthians each day as preparation for this Sunday’s sermon from I Corinthians 13.

If you have read through Corinthians this week, you may have discovered that the church at Corinth was not without its challenges.  One of those challenges was they had different factions. (1:10-17, 3:1-9). Another challenge was some were puffed up with knowledge and their own wisdom. (1:18-2:16). There were challenges related to church discipline (chapters 5-6), eating food sacrificed to idols (chapter 8) and proper worship and spiritual gifts (chapters 11-12).  Throughout his letter, the Apostle Paul is seeking to teach the Corinthians how to live out their faith in Christ with one another.  At the close of chapter 12 he writes, “But strive for the greater gifts.  And now I will show you the most excellent way.”

This most excellent way is found in I Corinthians 13.  The entire chapter or at least portions of it are familiar to many of us.  It’s often read at weddings.  While the immediate context of the passage is not a romantic relationship or romantic love, it’s appropriate to read it at weddings because in the Apostle’s great hymn to love, Paul has recognized some fundamentals about love.  These fundamentals apply in all sorts of context.  They apply to romantic relationships, familial relationships, friendships, faith communities, etc.  I cannot think of a context that these principles do not apply.

This Sunday we’re going to begin a three-week sermon series based on this passage.  This week, we’ll explore how Paul establishes love as the essential condition of the faithful life.  Next week, we’ll dive into the virtue of love, its characteristics and function.  Finally, on February 13^th we’ll reflect on love’s supremacy, its lasting nature as we remember and celebrate some of the ways Grace Baptist Church has loved one another and its community.

See you on Zoom on Sunday!

Pastor David