(Beans and rice seeds are being distributed to flood victims in the Rio Coco region of Nicaragua. These gifts were made possible through donations to the Moravian Disaster Response Fund)
In All Things Love
By Bishop Chris Giesler
Assigned Texts:
- I Corinthians 13:1-13
- Luke 4:21-30
So, Jesus shows up for Sabbath services at his hometown Synagogue. Joseph’s boy, the carpenter, has come home, and folks are hanging on every word as he picks up the scroll and reads from the Prophet Isaiah. At first, all seems well. Our Gospel lesson from last week (Luke 4:14-21) gives us the background for what is about to happen as Jesus reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus then tells them this passage finds its fulfillment in him. Luke tells us that everyone was amazed.
But as we pick things up this week, things quickly fall apart. Someone questions Jesus’ lineage, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Judging by how Jesus responds, we are left to assume that this is a backhanded compliment. In other words, how dare the carpenter’s son come in here and claim to be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy? Jesus then references Elijah and Elisha, other well-known prophets, who did not do miracles in their hometown. Perhaps Jesus is telling them he won’t be giving them preference over those outside this community. Regardless, the hometown folks are furious, and there is a mad rush to the cliff on the outskirts of town, and they appear ready to toss Jesus from it. But somehow, he manages to escape his doom, at least for now. Is this a foreshadowing of the cross? Like many of the prophets, Biblical and otherwise, their words comfort some, but at the same time, they anger others. Think of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who I consider to be a modern-day prophet. His words, while Biblically grounded, angered the white majority, who could not see beyond their racial prejudices.
This is precisely what happened as Bishop Marian Budde of the Episcopal Church spoke at the National Prayer Service on Inauguration Day, January 21, 2025. She began her sermon with this prayer:
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on Earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bishop Budde then goes on to say:
With a commitment to unity that incorporates diversity and transcends disagreement, and the solid foundations of dignity, honesty, and humility that such unity requires, we can do our part, in our time, to help realize the ideals and the dream of America.
From here, based on Holy Scripture, she asked for mercy for those who are on the margins of our society, such as those in the LGBTQ+ community, those who pick our crops, clean our hotels and public bathrooms, and those who have no home because of persecution. Some in the United States, including President Trump, have found this offensive, and many are trying to toss her off a cliff.
This brings me to the passage before us today from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. It is the famous “Love Chapter,” which is often read at weddings. While certainly fitting for such an occasion, Paul was most certainly not writing his words to a couple about to get married. He was writing a letter to the members of the First Christian Church of Corinth, who were in the middle of a classic church fight. Their conflict seems to surround the expression of spiritual gifts in their church. Paul had undoubtedly helped them discover their gifts, but now some thought their gift was the most important to the exclusion of others. In chapter 12, Paul uses the analogy of the different parts of the human body needing to work together for the body to function effectively. We can’t all be an eye! We need all the body parts to work in harmony, and it is the same in the church. All gifts should be honored. All gifts should be respected. All gifts are needed for the church to serve the world properly. In chapter 13, Paul indicates one spiritual gift is to be held above all others: the gift of love. All of our gifts need to be expressed through the gift of love for God, for ourselves, and for others. If not, discord will eventually come.
What might have happened in Nazareth if the folks who heard Jesus’ words would have listened with a heart of love? What might have happened had a white and privileged majority heard Dr. King’s words with love rather than hatred?
I have seen church fights over coffee cups, the color of the carpet in the sanctuary, allowing card-playing in the church building, and wearing masks during the Covid outbreak. And yes, folks have figuratively been thrown off the cliff.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Chief Elder (as we say in Moravian circles), we take on Jesus’ priorities of loving all those around us regardless of their color, nationality, economic status, sexual/gender orientation, or preference for worship style. We love each other so that we can serve a world that needs the reconciling grace that Jesus so clearly lived and died for. The first thing that suffers when we are rushing someone to the cliff is our true mission. When mired in conflict, it is hard to consider the needs of the world around us. As Abraham Lincoln famously said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” The same is true for families, congregations, and communities. When we hold love as the greatest gift, we put aside the notion that the cliff is the best solution. Instead, we seek to pursue love, even where differences and dissent are present.
The phrase “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things love” is often said to be the motto of the Moravian Church. Paul might argue that we should simply say, “In all things love.”