On Mission: Walk in Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

   The fifth in a series that unpacks our church's mission statement: Helping people walk with Jesus in faith, hope, and love to the glory of God. 

To see the full message, scroll to the bottom.

Psalm 136 is equal parts song of praise and history lesson. It's a reminder to the people of Israel of who they are and where they came from.  

In verses 1-4, the writer starts with who God is. It's like when we say the Lord's Prayer. We begin, “Our Father, who is in heaven...” God's identity, His status and His power. Because Trinity Love is greater than everything all at once. 

And the congregation sings, “His love endures forever.”  

In verses 5 through 9, the writer reminds the congregation of God's acts of creation: acts of wisdom, order, bringing stability to the chaos, bringing everything in line in a way that holds it all together. Because Trinity Love gives life. Trinity Love conquers chaos. It makes sense of all that confusion and all that power. 

And the congregation sings, “His love endures forever.”  

Verses 10 through 15 get into the history of Israel as a nation. God's rescue of His people from slavery because Trinity Love remembers us even when we forget Him, turn our backs, and walk away. Trinity Love is keeps battling against oppression. Keeps lifting the oppressed. 

And the congregation sings, “His love endures forever.”  

Verses 16 through 22 remind the congregation of God's guidance and protection. Because Trinity Love guards and keeps us. Trinity Love battles against disenfranchisement, displacement, abandonment and loneliness. Trinity Love provides us with a hope and a future.

 And the congregation sings, “His love endures forever.”  

Verses 23 to 24 talk about God's mercy and compassion. Because Trinity Love leans close enough to hear us when we cry for help. Trinity Love battles against despair. Keeps His promise. 

And the congregation sings, “His love endures forever.” 

Wrapping it all up, the writer of Psalm 136 looks to the future, and reminds the congregation of God's faithfulness and His unchangingness. Because Trinity Love sustains the life that He gave. He doesn't just start the clock and let it wind down. He sustains life. Trinity Love battles against death. 

And the congregation sings, “His love endures forever.”  

______ 

What happens next? Where do we go from there?  

The story continues. Because Trinity Love came to walk the earth in Jesus. Trinity Love carried on that battle—face to face.  

Feeding the hungry, raising the dead. Offending the religious and moral sensibilities of His own tradition, prioritizing human need and suffering above the rules and the regulations. Pointing relentlessly toward the eternal gift of life and wholeness and health and redemption. 

And that love endures forever.  

Trinity Love walked the earth in Jesus, drinking from the cup of the Samaritan woman—an outsider—who He had every right to hate. But He set aside the generations of name-calling, character assassination, mutual antagonism. He sat down next to her to receive her hospitality because... 

Trinity Love endures forever.  

Jesus walked the earth doing things like dining in the home of Zacchaeus—an insider who should have known better. But he betrayed his own people for his own gain or safety. Jesus set aside His own nationalistic and personal feelings to meet Zacchaeus where he was. 

Trinity Love endures forever. 

Jesus walked the earth calling out untruth. He corrected people who were going off track. He called the religious and political elite “snakes.” He called them “whitewashed tombs.” He called one of His closest friends (the apostle Peter) “enemy,” and said, “Get behind me.” He told His other close apostles, James and John, “Who do you think you belong to? I am not here to feed your ego.” Jesus walked into eternity and from there spoke these words to the church in Laodecia: “Those who I love I discipline. So turn around, church, and walk right.” 

Trinity Love endures forever. 

Jesus walked the earth—dying on the cross.  

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down their life for their friends. (John 15:13)

God proves His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:7)

What does love look like? Jesus. Love looks like God with skin on, surrendering all of His privilege and all of His power so that He could become one of us. Facing the same temptations, the same pains, the same griefs, the same joys as we do. Sharing our lives, being present where we are, coming to meet us where we are. That is what love Trinity Love looks like.  

______ 

What does that look like for us today? What does Trinity Love look like for us every day, when we're out there on the sidewalk, in the mall, in the grocery store, in traffic? Trying to get to sleep, remembering those conversations, thinking of those clever comebacks in the middle of the night?  

Our scripture focus teaches that love is patient. Love is kind. Love is gentle. Love is gracious. Love doesn't boast. Love is not self promoting.  

But sometimes—maybe even more often than not—love looks like doing battle.  

  • To walk with Jesus—with the God who is love—is to fight against desperation and despair.  

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or danger or sword? No. In all of these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.  (Romans 8:35)

We're not just survivors. We're not just the people who managed to stay good enough long enough to get into heaven when we die. We are conquerors. Jesus gives us the power of the Spirit, puts in us the power to stand against hardship and persecution and famine and nakedness and danger and sword, whatever forms they take in your life.  We are conquerors. We're not just survivors. We go into battle with love as our weapon.  

  • We are in a battle against fear, against hunger and against loneliness.  

If you have earthly possessions and you see someone in need, and you withhold your compassion, how can the love of God abide in you?  (1 John 3:17)

  • We are in a battle against hatred.  

To you who are listening I say, love your enemies: do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  (Luke 6:27-28)

We are not here to just avoid the people we don't like. We are not here to roll our eyes when someone we don't respect says something that sounds foolish to us. We are not here to just defend ourselves or to hide from what comes against us as believers in Christ. We are here to do good.   

  • We go to battle against (and this is a tough one) ego. Self-importance. Being right, being proved right, letting everybody know “I was right!” 

Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient. Bearing with one another in love.  (Ephesians 4:2)

  • We go to battle against religiosity. Self righteousness.  

Loving God with all your heart, loving God with all your understanding and all your strength, loving your neighbour as yourself is more important than all your [church services].  (Mark 12:33)

Love brings us down to earth and help us understand the difference between holiness and religiosity.  

______ 

To walk with Jesus in love is to do battle like Jesus did battle.  

Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, Jesus did battle by running towards one who had rejected Him. By running to and tackling with a bear hug someone who had given him the finger and walked away.  

Jesus did battle by going the extra mile, literally and figuratively. By being extra patient with the people who needed Him to be extra patient, and by walking up that hill to Calvary.  

Jesus did battle by turning the other cheek, literally and figuratively. By forgiving people over and over and over again, and also by taking the abuse rained down on Him as He was tortured before His death.  

Doing battle like Jesus did battle is hard work. It's hard work to open our hearts to compassion. It's hard work to open our minds to empathy. It's hard work to see the needs in each other, and in the world around us. It is really, really hard work to invest in the happiness and success of someone who doesn’t like or respect you. It is hard work to step toward, to step into other people's pain. Sometimes it's hard work to just sit with them, to walk with them, or to tell them about hope.  

To do battle the way Jesus did—to love the way Jesus loved. 

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