Here is a beautiful paraphrase/reflection on 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13 written by Kristin Jack, and read at his funeral in December 2023.
Even if I am superbly gifted, as linguist and tongues-speaker, as prophet and theologian, as scholar and wonder-worker, but am not motivated by God’s incredible love – it will all come to nothing. Even if I live ‘incarnationally’ and with such an incredible commitment to simplicity that I give all my possessions to the poor; and even if I go beyond that, offering up my very body as a martyr-sacrifice on behalf of the poor – but have done it from a sense of duty or heroism, rather than out of genuine love for those I am among– it will all count for nothing. For the poor will see through me, and sense that I love my own ideals (or ‘principles’, or ‘doctrines’) more than I love them. When we move in among the poor, our goal is not to live more ‘incarnationally’ or more simply than others, as if we are trying to prove a point. No, our goal is simply to love the people we go to. If our goal is anything other than this, then we have missed the whole point of Jesus’ teachings.
This is what love will look like in our relationships with those we live among. When they don’t get it (our wonderful ideas about theology or development or whatever), and we seem to be getting nowhere – we must be patient, just as God is patient with us when we don’t get it. We must be kind, just as God is kind to us, whether or not we deserve it – and we usually don’t (therefore we will be kind to others, whether they deserve it or not). We must not be envious, but content, even when we see other folks with easier lives, more comforts, more success, and more acclaim. We must remind ourselves that we are not doing this ministry for any of those reasons anyway, and nor did Jesus. And if any success or acclaim should come our way, we will not boast or draw our self-worth from it, for we know these things are imposters, and (from heaven’s perspective) fleeting and illusory. We will seek to cultivate the inner simplicity (humility) that eventually leads to genuine outer simplicity. We need to learn to recognise our own cant, hubris, pride, over-sensitivity for what they are. Instead we will learn to laugh at our own foolishness.
We will deliberately and joyfully choose to hang out with the lowly and the least[1]. We will count others as better than ourselves[2]. We will treat our friends and neighbours with the honour and respect due to them as fellow bearers of the image of God. By God’s grace, we will commit ourselves to living lives that are other-centered, rather than self-seeking (and when we fail, as we surely will) we will ask forgiveness and start again. When we do get angry – at the injustice and corruption and poverty that surround us – we will commit ourselves to constructive, reconciling acts of peaceableness and peacemaking[3]. We will remind ourselves that it is better to light one candle than curse the darkness. We commit ourselves to walking in forgiveness, to keeping no record of other people’s wrongs, and to not reminding people of mistakes made in the past – just as we hope they’ll do the same for us. We will strive to not grow bitter over the times we are not thanked for what have done – just as Jesus had to learn the same lesson[4]. We seek to inspire hope through shared dreams of a better future, and we will delight in and celebrate every tiny act of truthfulness that we witness. We commit ourselves to protecting the vulnerable and nurturing the weak. We commit ourselves to practicing empowerment by giving trust. Because we know there is another Kingdom coming, we are both realists and optimists, always hoping, even in the face of all present evidence to the contrary. We know that hope is infectious, and so our hope lends hope to those without hope. We believe in and practice ministries that persevere over the long-run, instead of the hit-and-run. We won’t give up easily – we will cling to Jesus. In the face of all that comes against us, that disappoints and breaks our hearts, we will carry on – in faith, in hope, in love.
And the greatest of these is love.
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[1] Romans 12:16
[2] Philippians 2.3
[3] Matthew 5:9
[4] Luke 17:17
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