Love, light and Wayne Rooney

1 Corinthians 13:2-7 (NIV)
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. [3] If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. [4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

We came to the end of a short sermon series on 1 Corinthians 12-13 yesterday. Peter Churcher preached a sermon on why love underpins everything else that happens in church life and living. The Corinthian church was known for its grand gestures and diversity of gifts, but Paul the apostle writes to tell them that they've missed the main point - they'd become a gathering of individuals (or cliques) and were not united in the love for one another that they were called to. How will the world see the love of God if the church don't exhibit it?

The view from my seat...

The previous day, the lights had gone out at Craven Cottage. It had been a 5.30pm kick-off against a team from up north with their noisy, unpleasant fans from the south (The Fulham fans replied by singing 'Live round the corner, you only live round the corner'). There was a glittering array of talent on the pitch: Rooney, van Persie, Ferdinand, Nani & co, and the game was entertaining, end to end stuff. But then, 40 mins into the 1st half, the floodlights failed. Cue calls for Mr Al Fayed, who had announced his presence by trotting onto the pitch waving a scarf before the game began, to 'get his wallet out and pay the electricity bill'. The players stood around, suddenly de-skilled by the darkness. There was the sound of a whistle, and by the light of scores of camera flashes all round the pitch you could see the players shuffling towards the bench. Confusion reigned for abut 5 mins until the players were then taken off the pitch by the Referee.
Eventually, the lights came back on and the players returned, humbled by the reminder that without the floodlights they were 'nothing' (ref 1 Cor 13 v.2).

Love, Paul would perhaps say if he were writing today, is as vital to the church as floodlights are to an evening kick-off. It's the love of God for us in Christ that binds a diverse and otherwise selfish group of  individuals together as the body of Christ. But it is also the same  love which, when the church lives it out in practice, switches the floodlights on so that the world can see the love of God in Jesus Christ.in all its power.

Wayne Rooney - useless in the dark.

Back to the match report... Predictably, once the lights were back on, Wayne Rooney scored the winner with a beautiful piece of finishing, that rewarded his energy and exquisite play throughout the game. But he was useless in the dark.