Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13
"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. . . . And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love."
Hymn: "The Gift of Love," UMH 408
Hal Hopson, 1972
". . . Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control,
Our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed;
By this we worship, and are freed."
Prayer:
Rework my heart and my life, O Spirit of God's love, until those qualities true of love are true of me as well.
Make me patient and kind. Make me slow to envy or boast, take away my arrogance and rudeness. Teach me to give up my insistence on my own way, remove my irritability and resentments. Show me how to rejoice in the truth, rather than in wrongdoing. By your power, help me to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things.
And when this life is over, precious Holy Spirit, and I have long since given up my childish, unloving ways, reveal to me the fullness of never-ending love, face to face with God.
Showing posts with label 1 Corinthians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 Corinthians. Show all posts
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
A Little Housekeeping
There were several other blogs listed in my profile that I have either never contributed to, or haven't written for in a long time.
In the interest of accuracy, I've removed these other blogs from my profile, so that only my sole-owner blog, The Psaltery (this one) appears in the profile.
I have a great deal of respect for women in the emergent church movement. However, as a Christian who worships and serves within an established denomination (The United Methodist Church), and as someone who has never participated in emerging church activities, I'm not going to continue to unwittingly misrepresent myself to careless readers as "emergent." Some people apparently are willing to decide they know all kinds of things about my knowledge of the Holy Scriptures based on the titles of blogs listed in my profile. (Silly, yes, but it's happened.)
Yes, the religiously-popular "f-word" (feminist) is accurate enough about me. I'm one of those radical people who believes that feminism--that is, the inherent equality of men and women as fellow members of the human race--is an essential part of correctly understanding who we are as created beings in the family of God.
I'm not sure my latest accuser will ever actually bother to read what I write here. No matter. She already has her reward, as do those who join her in false accusations and character assassination about anyone who doesn't accept their false premise that this world's tradition of men ruling over women is godly. They say that patriarchy is an essential of the gospel. Some gospel, yes, I'm sure. But not the gospel of Jesus Christ, into whose image all Christians are called to be conformed. Biblical equality IS biblical. I call my critics to repentance in their attacks against me and my fellow egalitarians. If they ever decide to deal with the truth, they'll find in me a sister in the Lord. They're the ones who've sinfully decided that accepting a worldly practice--patriarchy--is the deciding factor in who's a member of the body of Christ.
1 Cor. 12:12-31
In the interest of accuracy, I've removed these other blogs from my profile, so that only my sole-owner blog, The Psaltery (this one) appears in the profile.
I have a great deal of respect for women in the emergent church movement. However, as a Christian who worships and serves within an established denomination (The United Methodist Church), and as someone who has never participated in emerging church activities, I'm not going to continue to unwittingly misrepresent myself to careless readers as "emergent." Some people apparently are willing to decide they know all kinds of things about my knowledge of the Holy Scriptures based on the titles of blogs listed in my profile. (Silly, yes, but it's happened.)
Yes, the religiously-popular "f-word" (feminist) is accurate enough about me. I'm one of those radical people who believes that feminism--that is, the inherent equality of men and women as fellow members of the human race--is an essential part of correctly understanding who we are as created beings in the family of God.
I'm not sure my latest accuser will ever actually bother to read what I write here. No matter. She already has her reward, as do those who join her in false accusations and character assassination about anyone who doesn't accept their false premise that this world's tradition of men ruling over women is godly. They say that patriarchy is an essential of the gospel. Some gospel, yes, I'm sure. But not the gospel of Jesus Christ, into whose image all Christians are called to be conformed. Biblical equality IS biblical. I call my critics to repentance in their attacks against me and my fellow egalitarians. If they ever decide to deal with the truth, they'll find in me a sister in the Lord. They're the ones who've sinfully decided that accepting a worldly practice--patriarchy--is the deciding factor in who's a member of the body of Christ.
1 Cor. 12:12-31
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Advent, Week 1: Wednesday
Recommended readings from the first Sunday of Advent (from the Revised Common Lectionary):
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36
"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you." (1 Thess. 3:12, NRSV)
What a key summary verse for us as Christians! May the Source of our love, the Lord Jesus Christ, grow love within us for one another and for everyone! Oh, yes, cries my soul!
But wait! If love increases, what must decrease?
Envy. Boasting. Arrogance. Rudeness. Insisting on my own way. Being irritable. Being resentful. Finding satisfaction in wrongdoing. Refusing to bear difficulties. Doubt. Despair. Refusing to endure whatever comes my way for the sake of love. (1 Cor. 13: 4-7)
If I am really serious about wanting to grow in love (or, in Wesleyan terms, "go onto perfection in love"), I've got to cooperate with God in removing that which kills love in my life.
It hurts, God. Some of these things have wrapped themselves around my heart and soul, binding them in sinful, unloving ways. Nevertheless, I choose love over self. This day, this moment. Make me more like my Savior.
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36
"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you." (1 Thess. 3:12, NRSV)
What a key summary verse for us as Christians! May the Source of our love, the Lord Jesus Christ, grow love within us for one another and for everyone! Oh, yes, cries my soul!
But wait! If love increases, what must decrease?
Envy. Boasting. Arrogance. Rudeness. Insisting on my own way. Being irritable. Being resentful. Finding satisfaction in wrongdoing. Refusing to bear difficulties. Doubt. Despair. Refusing to endure whatever comes my way for the sake of love. (1 Cor. 13: 4-7)
If I am really serious about wanting to grow in love (or, in Wesleyan terms, "go onto perfection in love"), I've got to cooperate with God in removing that which kills love in my life.
It hurts, God. Some of these things have wrapped themselves around my heart and soul, binding them in sinful, unloving ways. Nevertheless, I choose love over self. This day, this moment. Make me more like my Savior.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)