The celebration of Thanksgiving, at least for me, isn’t just about turkey, football or parades, but a time of reflection. I’ve been thinking a lot over the last day or so what our interpersonal relationships should look like, and the passage on my mind is 1 Corinthians 13. This passage is most often quoted at weddings and while that use and others is okay, it takes the words out of context.
The Apostle Paul delivers the words of chapter 13 of his letter to a church deeply divided by conflict and torn into factions. Paul’s words are delivered to a church nearly ready to split at the seams due to sin, favoritism and ostentation. Though written nearly 2000 years ago, it has much to say to us today. Basically, Paul is telling us to practice this way of love not with those whom we already love, but with those we don’t. I’m to act in an loving manner, guided by the Spirit of God, towards those I disagree with, those I find unlovely, those with whom I might be divided.
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