Dear Christian friends:

In one of Aesop's fables the Wind and the Sun are having a contest to see which one can cause a traveler to take off his cloak. The Wind, seeking to remove the traveler's cloak by force, blew its fiercest blasts; but the traveler only drew the cloak closer about himself. "I will show you a better way," said the Sun; and the Sun shone upon the traveler so bright and warm, that the cloak was gladly taken off.

In the church we sometimes act like the Wind in the fable instead of like the Sun and the results are not good. That was the problem at Corinth, so St. Paul corrected them severely. He says at the end of the correction, "And yet show I unto you a more excellent way." (1 Cor. 12:31) Then he tells them about this more excellent way in his famous charity chapter, chapter 13, which is the Epistle Lesson for this Sunday, and is also our text.

The problems that they had at Corinth are still with us today. Human nature has not changed at all over the twenty centuries that have passed. So we do well to consider St. Paul's exhortation that helps to solve this problem:


Charity is a more excellent way because it's a necessity. (Read verses 1-3)

Without charity the most glorious gifts and services are nothing, of no account to us and do not please God.

Although I may be well gifted and most talented, yet if my motive for serving in the congregation is not love for God and love for my fellow members I am "a sounding brass," and agent of discord and irritation; "I am nothing"; "it profiteth me nothing." Even a pastor can sin while preaching a sermon if his motivation is self-glory rather than love for Jesus and love for his audience. Charity should be our motivation in all that we do in the church, in the family and in society. If the motivation is right, then the chances are good for the work and the service to be good also, and peace will prevail rather than discord. This I want to say in a general way.

Now we should get a bit more specific.

In verse three St. Paul mentions giving help to the poor: (Read verse 3) Andrew Fuller, when soliciting funds for missions, called on a wealthy nobleman to whom he was unknown, but who had heard much about Fuller's preaching talents and piety. After Fuller had made his presentation, his lordship observed that he would not make a donation. Dr. Fuller was preparing to leave when the nobleman remarked that there was one man to whom, if he could see him, he thought he would give something for the missions, and that man was Andrew Fuller: Dr. Fuller immediately replied, "My name, sir, is Andrew Fuller." On this, the nobleman, after some hesitation, gave him a guinea. Observing the reluctance of the donor, Dr. Fuller looked him in the face with much gravity, and said, "Sir, does this donation come from your heart? If it does not, I wish not to receive it." The nobleman was so stricken in his heart and so overcome with this honest frankness, that he took from his pores ten guinea more, saying, "There, sir, these come from my heart."

Also we should strive to have charity as the motivation for our giving since then our giving will be profitable for us and pleasing to God. The Gospel lesson for today tells us that Jesus was willing to go up to Jerusalem, where He would be handed over to the Gentiles, who would mock Him, insult Him, spit on Him, flog Him and kill Him. (Luke 18:31-32) Everything that Jesus did He did with charity, out of love for His Father in heaven and out of love for us sinners here on earth. Jesus' charity is our motivation as well as our model for giving and serving.

Charity is a more excellent way because it is absolutely necessary if our service in the church is to be profitable for us and pleasing to God.

Charity is also a more excellent way because of it's properties and fruits. (Read verses 4-7)

St. Paul in these verses gives us some of the properties and effects of charity.

He does this to both describe and commend it to us, that we may know whether we have it or not; and that if we have it not, we may repent of our sinfulness and then fall in love with it as it is exceedingly desirable, and that we rest not until we possess it in greater measure and practice its sacred art.

So let us examine more closely some of these properties and effects of charity, which Paul lists here.

"Charity suffereth long and is kind." It can endure evil and injury provocation without being filled with resentment, indignation, or revenge. It would rather wait patiently and pray for the reformation of a brother than to fly out in resentment of his conduct. Charity will put-up with many slights and neglects from the person it loves, and wait long to see the kindly effects of such patience on him.

"Charity envieth not." Charity surpasses envy. It is not grieved at the good fortune of others. If we really love our brother or neighbor, we shall be far from envying his success or being displeased with it, but we will share in it and rejoice at it with him. The prosperity of those to whom we wish well, can never grieve us; and the mind which is inclined toward doing good to all, can never wish ill to anyone.

"It vaunteth not itself, is not puffed-up." Charity subdues pride and vain glory. It is not bloated with self-conceit. It does not dwell upon its possessions, nor arrogate to itself that honor, power or respect, which does not belong to it. Charity is not insolent, apt to despise others, or trample on them, or treat them with contempt and scorn. Those who are animated with the principle of true brotherly love, will in honor prefer one another. (Romans 12:3) They will do nothing out of a spirit of contention, or vain-glory, but in lowliness of mind will esteem others better than themselves. (Phil. 2:3) True love will give us an esteem of our brothers, and raise our value of them; and this will limit our esteem for ourselves and prevent the cancers of self-conceit and arrogance, which injures churches, marriages and nations.

Time does not permit us to deal with all the lovely properties and effects of charity. However, I have selected the main ones and there is some repetition in those that I have not expounded. But these we have dealt with should cause us to fall in love with charity and its beauty and make us restless to have it for ourselves here in the congregation and in our families. Charity is a more excellent way because of it's precious properties and fruits.

And, finally charity is a more excellent way because it excels the best gifts and the other two graces, faith and hope.

"Charity never faileth." But all other gifts and graces will have an end and not be needed. (Read verse 8)

Charity is a perpetual, permanent grace, lasting as eternity; whereas the extra ordinary gifts, which the Corinthians valued so much, were of short duration. They were only to edify the church on earth, and that but for a time, not during its whole continuance in this world.

"Prophecies shall fail." God is no longer giving prophecies and special revelations as He did during the first century of the New Testament church, such as He gave to St. Paul and the twelve apostles, and even to certain laymen. They are not needed anymore. We have the Word and the Sacraments.

"Tongues will cease," that is the miraculous power of speaking languages without learning them. That was needed on the first Pentecost and at various times during the first century. But it is not really needed today although some people claim to have this gift. There will be just one language in heaven.

"Knowledge shall vanish away." Paul doesn't mean that learned knowledge or common knowledge will not be present in heaven. He means knowledge which God before gave in mysterious, supernatural ways, like through the prophets of the Old Testament and through the apostles of the New testament. There has been no need of further, special revelations since the first century, and God has given none despite the claims of some like Joseph Smith, Book of Mormons, Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, Mohammed, Koran.

It is plain that St.Paul is here setting the grace of charity in opposition to supernatural gifts. Charity is more excellent because it is more durable; it shall continue when they shall be no more.

Charity will continue and be the chief thing in the perfection of heaven, while these gifts God gives to the church on earth are at best imperfect. (Read verses 9-10)

With these words St. Paul shows how much better it will be with the church in heaven than it can be with the church here on earth. When the end is attained, the means will be abolished. There will be no need of tongues, and prophecy and inspired knowledge in the future life, because then the church will be in a state of perfection, complete both in knowledge and holiness. We will know God clearly, and as perfectly as the capacity of a glorified mind will allow; not by such transient glimpses and little portions as here on earth.

The difference between these two states of being are shown by Paul next with two allegories: The first allegory: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." (verse 11) The present state of the church on earth is a state of childhood; the future state of the church in heaven is a state of manhood! The second allegory: "For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known." (verse 12) Things are all dark and confused now, in comparison with what they will be hereafter! Now we can only see things at a great distance, as through a telescope, which is unclear and obscure.

In heaven we shall fix our eyes on God and see Him face to face, as He is in all His glory. We shall know Him as He knows us, for we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2) What a glorious difference! To pass from darkness to light, from clouds to the clear sunshine of our Savior's face, and in God's light to see light! (Psalm 36:9)

To sum up the excellences of charity Paul prefers it not only to spiritual gifts, but even to the other two graces, faith and hope. (Read verse 13)

In heaven faith will be swallowed up of vision, and hope of fruition. There is no need to believe when we see, and there is no need to hope when we have arrived and enjoy. While faith and hope are gone, charity will be there in full bloom. There we shall perfectly love God, because He will appear perfectly friendly and our hearts will burn and glow with perpetual devotion. And there we shall perfectly love one another. 0 blessed state! How much surpassing the best below! O excellent grace, charity! When faith and hope are ended, charity will burn forever with the brightest flame!

Brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, St. Paul has shown us a more excellent way, the way of charity! May God give us grace to walk in that way now here on earth, even as we will in heaven.

Amen.