Love is patient

I Cor. 13:4-8a

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

This passage frequently gets read at weddings, but it was not originally written about marriage. Instead, it was written to a church where a variety of groups were in conflict with each other. Those who were in conflict were being told to love each other.

To followers of Jesus who are in conflict with other followers of Jesus, Paul writes – show love – don’t be envious, boastful, arrogant or rude. Aren’t those the very things we want to do when we are in conflict with someone else. They are rude, we want to be rude back. Or we want to be rude so that they know we are unhappy with them. We boast about how we are better, more correct than they are.

When we are in conflict with others, we assume that we are correct, they are wrong, we should get what we want, we should get our way. Love in the Christian community says, “Not so fast. Love, the love we see in Jesus, does not insist on its own way. Even if we are at odds with the other side.”   

Love does not rejoice when the opponent, the adversary suffers from being wronged. Love does not inflict hurt on an adversary or an opponent.

Love is willing to keep on trying to find a way to be reconciled to the opponent, believing and hoping even when such belief and hope seem ridiculous, seem to be believing and hoping for the impossible.

This is a robust love, rooted in the love God has for humankind. A love we see in Jesus whose love has no end. This is the love we are invited to show to those with whom we are in conflict.

PRAYER: 

O Lord, there are people in our lives we do not like very much, people we are at odds with. We pray for their well-being, we pray that you would strengthen them for whatever challenges they are facing. Shape us to be people who seek their good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.