Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (v. 13)
An old minister friend of mine told me that he used to feel terribly nervous when preaching wedding sermons. He said, “All those people staring up at me, the bride and the groom, friends and family, everyone expecting me to say something lofty and memorable, always gave me butterflies in my stomach. But then one day,” he continued, “it occurred to me that I couldn’t remember a single word the minister said at my own wedding! And I never felt nervous again!”
However, I remember the sermon from my own wedding, forty-some years ago, very well. The text was 1 Corinthians 13. The presiding minister, Dr. William Brownson, who also formerly served as president of Words of Hope, emphasized that love is not merely an emotion, it is an action. Love is a verb. It is not just something you feel, it is what you do. Being patient and being kind—those are ways of acting. Not being rude, not being boastful, irritable, or self-seeking, those are ways of acting. Deciding to forgive, rejoicing in someone else’s good fortune—those are actions.
Love is not a feeling; it is a decision to act in a loving way. In the play My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle sings, “Don’t talk of stars burning above, if you’re in love, show me!” It is one thing to say you’re in love, but do you show it? How? —Lou Lotz
As you pray, be thankful for the people you love, and think about the ways you show your love.
About the Author
Rev. Lou Lotz is a recently retired Reformed Church pastor. Lou and his wife Mary Jean live in Hudsonville, Michigan.
