1 Corinthians 13 for Council Devotions
1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;
5. it is not arrogant or rude. Love keeps no record of wrongs; it is not irritable or resentful;
6. it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.
7. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8. Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it "I pass away.
9. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect;
10. but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.
11. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
12. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.
13. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
================================
The February 2002 Christ Lutheran Church (CLC, Menomonie) version, used by permission, by Barb Solsa:
If I know all the words to the CLC Constitution and By-Laws, but have not love, I am only a noisy gong like the CLC bell tower, clanging and clanging and clanging out the time.
If I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge such as how we are going to afford the roof
renovations and other budgetary questions, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains trusting that the monies will be there to cover the budget as well as unexpected expenditures, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I tithe 20% of my income and volunteer my time at the local hospice, if I volunteer to chaperone the youth delivering my body to be eaten alive by mosquitoes in South Dakota, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind even when you prepare the most exciting Bible Study and no one shows up.
Love is not jealous or boastful even when you see from the pre-Consecration statistics that you are amongst the top 10 givers in the congregation.
Love is not arrogant or rude; it keeps no record of wrongs even when you have a particularly crazy month with 16 different meetings at church, you are an usher at both services for the month and you also have donut duty. Oh, did I mention we need you to call people for consecration Sunday?
Love does not rejoice when both pastors are called away for emergencies on Sunday morning, but rejoices that we have an Interim to cover.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things, even council retreat overnights at Luther Park.
Love never ends, as for members of the congregation, they will go home.
As for hymns and songs of praise, they will cease.
As for Christ Lutheran Church, it will pass away. For our church is imperfect and our pastoring and evangelizing skills are imperfect (hate to say it, but it's true). But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.
When I was a confirmand, I spoke like a confirmand, I thought like a confirmand, I reasoned like a confirmand (as if you can reason with a 13 year old). When I got confirmed, I gave up childish ways (yeah, right!).
For now we see as if we have just been awakened for an Easter Sunrise Service, but then we shall see so much more clearly. Now I know a wee bit, then I shall understand fully even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.