The Hymn Of Love

The Hymn of Love

1 Cor 13:1-8

Today we have a very well known passage from St Paul’s letter the Corinthian Church some times called the hymn of LOVE.

And this hymn of love tells us so much about ourselves and the way we should live the Christian life, and if we are honest it shows us our shortcomings.

St.Paul say's we sound like a clanging cymbal if we speak without love… I can be the most gifted person in the world but these are absolutely nothing if I do not have love.

I'm sure you have all come across the shop assistant who begrudgedly served you, and you feel like telling them where they can go.

Possibly one of the truest facts of life is, that when your smiling the whole world smiles with you; to a smile you react naturally and return that smile..its contagious!

And such interaction makes everything so much more amicable and pleasant, a loving relationship surely is the ideal relationship.

As St. Paul puts it so uniquely, , Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude'

Can you see some of your faults in that list; I can!!

The interesting thing about these verses is that if you turn the verse on itself so that it asks a fundamental question, we have something very valuable to measure ourselves against.

AM I PATIENT AND KIND?

AM I EVER JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL?

AM I EVER ARROGANT OR RUDE?

And if we are honest we will soon realise how far short we fall of that perfect love and then we are in the position to do something about it!

The whole of this chapter from 1 Corinthians 13, the hymn of LOVE can be turn on itself in the way I have illustrated and if we compare ourselves with it we will soon find out what we have to do to become better and more loving.

Princess Alice had a young daughter and her daughter had Diphtheria.

Doctors told Princess Alice to stay away from her face so as to not breathe her daughter’s breath, because she then would contract the terminal disease and die.

One day as the daughter lay dying, she began to choke.

Alice forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death.

Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, "Mummy, kiss me!"

Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter.

Two months later, Princess Alice also died of Diphtheria.

Love forgets self, Love bears all things, love endures all things, love never ends.

Real love knows no danger. Real love doesn’t count the cost.

"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it."

Jesus kissed you and me. He died because He loves us.

Our Father in Heaven sent Jesus because He loves us. We know Love because we know Him.