February 2, 2025
1 Corinthians 12 is one of the most well-known—and most useful—chapters of the New Testament. Though we hear about the “body of Christ” in several places, it’s in 1 Corinthians 12 that Paul goes into the most detail about what this means. The body of Christ is like the literal human body: It’s one unit, but it consists of many parts, and all the parts have to function together for the whole thing to work. And though some parts may get all the attention, in reality, they’re no more important than the hidden parts that often get ignored.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul also talks about the gifts of the Spirit and the offices in the church. I don’t think he ever intended for these to be complete lists; he was just giving examples of how we might think of the church and its members. But the most important thing we should remember about 1 Corinthians 12 is what’s not there—something that’s foreshadowed in the very last verse:
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all, he wrote [12:31 NLT]. And then he turns to what’s actually more important than any of the marvelous gifts and offices and metaphors he just got through talking about. And after talking about all of those wonderful spiritual gifts and important offices of the church, what high honor was best of all? Well it was none of the things he had just told the Corinthians about. It wasn't what the Corinthians had likely been competing for among themselves. The best way of all was simply love.
We usually hear 1 Corinthians 13 in isolation—it’s often read at weddings, for example. But it’s important to remember where Paul put it and why he wrote it. By the grace of God, different Christians receive different gifts: wisdom, knowledge, faith, and discernment, to name a few. We might add some that Paul didn’t mention—such as music, speaking, prayer, and hospitality. And also by grace, God puts the body of Christ in order. Teachers, leaders, and healers are among the offices he names that keep things going. And, as you can imagine, people can’t help but give more respect to some gifts and offices and less respect to others.
And that’s when Paul puts it into perspective. He says that, even if he could speak in all the languages of earth and heaven, but did it without love, it would just be a bunch of ugly noise. He says that, even if he could share messages direct from the mouth of God and had faith that could move mountains, but did it without love, he would be nothing. He says that, even if he gave away all of his possessions to help the poor, but did it without love, he would gain nothing.
When I’m planning my sermons, I sometimes imagine that I have the perfect preaching plan—this upcoming sermon will be the best one ever, I sometimes hope. But if I don’t plan it or deliver with love, it would only be so much nonsense. Our consistory might consist of all the wisest people in town. But if the decisions we make are made without love, they will do no good to anybody. Our choir could sing the most beautiful song ever written. But if they sing it with no love in their hearts, there will be no beauty in it whatsoever.
Paul then describes love in the most timeless way imaginable. Love is patient and kind. It isn’t jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. It doesn’t have to have its own way. It is not too touchy, and it doesn’t hold grudges. It rejoices in the truth, and is saddened by injustice. It keeps the faith, never loses hope, and doesn’t give up when the going gets tough.
If the gifts of the Spirit and the various vocations within the church are given by grace, then we need to remember that all of them will eventually come to an end. But love will abide, because it’s the most abiding of all the graces. When all the other graces take their leave of us, love will stick around. In heaven we will need no need of forgiveness, for wrong will finally have been defeated. In heaven we will need no patience, for we will have no troubles. In heaven we’ll need no faith, because faith trusts in things we cannot see. All the other graces have an expiration date. But love will abide. One of my favorite quotes of all time is this one by a 17th-century Puritan pastor named Thomas Watson: "Faith is the staff we walk with in this life. But we shall leave this staff at heaven’s door, and only love shall enter."
Love is the most long-lasting of all of the graces. Its blossom will never fade. And it is the crown we will wear to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And remember—when we gather for communion, it is a foretaste (a preview) of that final and eternal feast. But first today we will do something special. We will renew our church covenant.
Our covenant helps us order our lives together. It is not a creed or a statement of faith. It is not a mission statement. It helps tell us who we are and how we should relate to one another. The words are simple and straightforward, but speak of the loftiness of the gospel and the Kingdom of God. But as important as this text is, let us remember that it was adopted out of love for God and for one another. And when we renew it, we must do so out of love, or it is meaningless.
It's easy to compare our little congregation to much bigger ones, to churches with hundreds—even thousands of people in attendance; to congregations with all kinds of programs, herds of pastors on staff, budgets that run into the millions. When we do this, we can’t help but feel we fall short.
But we are not to compare ourselves to other churches. We shouldn’t ignore them, of course, but they are not our standard. Our ambition is to be like Christ. Our goal is to love God, to love each other, and to love our neighbors. So let us open our hymnals to the inside back cover and renew our covenant with hearts overflowing with love…
As God’s people united in Christian communion:
We covenant with God and one another to seek to understand, receive, and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to worship God through word and sacrament, to live and grow in and by the grace of God, to strive for unity in this congregation and in the church universal, to serve Christ by serving our neighbor, to seek the Kingdom of God as a diverse and inclusive family of faith, and to join together to promote righteousness, justice, and peace.
