My ex-husband is from Dallas, Texas. He comes from a truly southern family with ways that I found so charming when we first met; gentlemanly ways with manners that would make dear Abbey proud. His mother liked things just so. We got along fairly well, or so I thought. She always seemed to be showing her affection for me and often said, “O bless your heart.” Seeing how she is a good Christian woman, I took that at face value thinking she was offering me a blessing. It wasn’t until years later I discovered that phrase has a very different meaning. Urban dictionary defines the phrase as, “You are an idiot but I like you and care about you so I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” It might be a little extreme, but you get the idea.
Another example of this told of Little Billy: I am 6 years old (only holds up 4 fingers)
Scarlet: Oh honey, bless your heart, but that’s only 4 fingers.
Little Billy tries again: I am 6 years old (this time holds up the same 4 fingers and 4 more on the other hand)
Scarlet: Child….Bless you and your momma’s heart.
Today we heard the consummate passage on love in scriptures, one read frequently at weddings. We want to hear all the good things love is, but this passage is really a “bless your heart moment.” Everything Paul says that love is not, is exactly what the church in Corinth is. Everything he says love is, they are not. A couple of examples: in chapter five Paul tells them, “Your boasting is not a good thing” (5:6), and “You are arrogant!” (5:2). Earlier he says, “As long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you…” Saying love is not rude, resentful or boastful is really saying to the people of Corinth you are all those things, “Bless your heart!” We hear this love passage as a declaration of love, much like one might hear “bless your heart” as a good thing. In reality Paul is lifting up love as a more excellent way especially when dealing with spiritual gifts.
Paul really does care about this group of believers. This was the first congregation he formed and one he was with, teaching and praying, for 18 months. He has poured his heart, soul and the love of Christ into this group and he wants them to be imitators of Christ, not these quarrelsome believers. It is helpful to know that the city of Corinth was a bit like Australia back in the day, in that it was a city where the dregs of society were sent by Rome. Yet Paul chose this group to share Christ’s message; a group now struggling with spiritual gifts. Paul just taught about spiritual gifts being like parts of the body; with a variety of spiritual gifts but the same spirit who gives them (12:4). It seems the spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues, prophesying and gaining knowledge are vying for favor, but Paul says pursue love more than these gifts. One commentator wrote, “Love is not another spiritual gift, but the way in which God intends us to practice all of our gifts” (Feasting on the Word, C1, pg. 302). If you are a Sunday School teacher, work on the newsletter, invite people to church, sing in the choir; do all of these things from a place of love. Love like you are filled with God’s love, the way you imagine it to be once you are able to stand before Jesus and see him face to face. Love freely because you have been freely forgiven. Don’t love dimly from our human and broken place, but love with a veracity to believe, hope and endure all things. Because that is how God loves us!!
Jeremiah is called by God, reminding us how we are each called by God, maybe to grand things, maybe to simpler tasks, in that calling we see God’s preeminent love. The love that knew you before you were born, the love that helps you see more than dimly, a love that will wipe away your sins and reflect back the light of Christ so that we might see the world through Jesus’ eyes. We grow into this love throughout our lives, first we see dimly, even though it is brighter than the sun. One day you will stand face to face in the glorious brightness of Christ’s light and you will know God’s love fully. Love is truly a function of knowing. That is how you fall in love with your beloved- they know you and you know them. The good and the bad, the highs and the lows- you know them completely. That is exactly how we learn to love with God. God knew you at a molecular level before you were born, knew you before you took your first breath. God knew you at every time of our life; first time you fell in love, when you got your first job, became a parent, lost a loved one. God knew you when life felt overwhelming, when joy sprang forth, when your mind started to slip and your body started to falter. God’s love carries you through and God promised, “You will know fully, as you have been fully known.” That is love!
David Henry Thoreau wrote, “There is no remedy for love but to love more.” Love more and you create a love that is patient, kind, and truthful. A love that bears, believes, hopes and endures all things.
In two weeks on Valentine’s Day, we will be honoring love by celebrating everyone who has journeyed this life for 90 years. If you are ninety or above then we are having a birthday party for you! Valentine’s Day will be Walter Malsbury 95th birthday and Nez Phister will have just celebrated her 96th the day before. So we will have a party right after church saying thank you for sharing your love, your life, your hopes and your faith with us! You have helped us to see God’s love more clearly, and we thank you and celebrate you!
The next time someone says, “Bless your heart” just smile and nod. For we are not called to be perfect in the eyes of others, we are called to share God’s love that claimed us from the beginning. God has already “Blessed your heart” not in a sarcastic way, but in the richness of love we have in Jesus Christ. In 10 days will be exploring the depth of that love as we enter into the season of Lent. May that be a time when your heart is truly blessed. Amen.
