Now These Three Remain
1 Corinthian 13
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
What will remain when empires fall, civilizations cease, all the money is spent, all the time and energy we had in reserves has been poured out? What happens when we take away the carpet, the pulpit, the studs of the building, the steeple, the crosses, the windows, the numbers of people, the popularity, the comfort of stability. What will we have left?
This is not always a hypothetical. After the bombing of churches, hospitals, houses, and businesses in the initial stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that Sunday morning believers huddled under bridges and into tunnels to sing, worship, and hear the word of God. Faith is not an easy thing to break. The more you pick at it, the more resilient it becomes. The more the muscles of faith are tested, stretched, broken down, and exhausted, the stronger it is built back. And like faith, though hope is frail, it’s hard to kill (as quoted from Prince of Egypt). As the communists in Russia and China sought to exterminate all faith based organizations, they found that they couldn’t kill something as rooted and organic as the hope found in the gospel of Jesus.
The apostle Paul knew these things. He had grown up with the great stories of Judas Maccabeus, the Hammer of God- who broke down the idols of the Greek overlords, fought back their armies, and secured an independent state of Judea. The faith had been like a smoldering wick during the time of the Greeks. All hope in a redeemed Israel out of the hands of foreigners was like a bruised and bent reed swaying in the storms of kings and empires. But the nation prevailed. The people never forgot their God and his works. They held onto God refusing to let go with every gale and torrent only making their resolve stronger. And Paul remembered these stories- remembered them as the time of testing was surely upon the horizon. The time of uncertainty, pain, instability, questions, and doubts- the time of the Nero persecutions where both he and Peter would be killed, along with countless other Christians, for the sake of gospel. And he seems to anticipate this future as he sees the struggles of the church in Corinth right there before him. He sees the bickering, the arrogance, the talking over of one another. He sees the clawing at one another for authority, to be in power of the house churches in Corinth. And he sees that same passion for righteous indignation that would use violence to secure a future for the faith.
But he also remembers the stories of Jesus. Who, being in the very nature God did not consider equality with God. Who came not to be served but to serve. Who told that greater love no one has but this, that one would lay down his life for many. How perfect love casts out fear. How we can only love because God first loved us. How the King of all the earth can stay nailed to a cross while looking upon those that were murdering him and say, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”
And Paul knowing all this tells the church then, which then reverberates through time as it reaches us here and now to teach us, “now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
No matter the hardship, no matter the fury and strength of persecution, apathy, or neglect– the church must always remember that we hold to God and he holds to us in this strange way that subverts claims of authority, all works of disunity, and all works of evil. Not with might. Not with money. Not with pretty churches. Not with popular sermons. Not with stability. Not with peace in our time. But with something far greater and far holier: love. The greatest of these will always be love.
Announcements:
January 27th (next Tuesday) at 6:30 we will have our Annual Business Meeting. All are invited to attend. We will have a small dinner at 6:30 and start the meeting at 7.
If you are interested in contributing to the Holy Week Devotional/Art Project, please use this link to get more information: Holy Week Project.
Invite any youth to attend the 9:45 Youth Group on Sunday Mornings. Daniel and Emily Mendez are leading this.
Mitchell and Sarah Davidson are hosting a weekly Bible Study at their house on Thursdays (6-8)
Trail Life 2-3pm each Sunday
Ask Pastor Steven or Damon Hargraves for more information
Church Weekly Schedule
Sunday worship at 11am
Sunday School at 9:45am
I am teaching through the Gospel According to Matthew
Youth/Children’s Group! Daniel and Emily Mendez are heading up the Youth Group Bible Study at 9:45
Wednesday Prayer Posse 12pm
Thursday Bible Study with Mitchell and Sarah 6-8pm
Mitchell’s cell number: 907-942-0381
address: 1815 E Rezanof Dr.
Trail Life each Sunday from 2-3pm
Pastor Steven’s Office Hours 8-4 Mon-Thursday
I have an open sign (if it is on, I am here)
If I am not in the office at these times, I am meeting with someone
Call or text me 972-921-2516
Email steven@kodiakcbc.org