Looking Into the Lectionary — Worship resources for 1/30

January 30, 2022 4th Sunday after Epiphany 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 COMMENTARY “We have more words to describe coffee than we have to describe love,” says Elif Shafak in her podcast “Say your Word.” It does seem odd that the English language has only one word for “love” — this complex emotion so foundational to human experience. The Greeks had six words for love. Eros, named after the Greek god of fertility, describes sexual desire. Philia describes love towards friends, like the deep bonds soldiers share or the college roommate with whom we still share our secrets. Ludus is playful, flirtatious and casual, the love felt on the dance floor of your best friends’ wedding. Pragma is longstanding, like long-married couples enjoying each other’s company without having to say a word. Philautia, self-love, can be experienced as narcissism or as healthy self-care and self-compassion. Agape is the love we read about in 1 Corinthians 13 — it is a radical love for others, grounded in an ethic to care for all of humanity, beyond our differences and despite our immersion in a world addicted to violence. Agape is God’s love for humankind in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Christians, agape inspires our lives and our call as disciples. 1 Corinthians 13 is a favorite passage to read at weddings, but Paul had more than romantic love in mind. He understood agape as the antidote to the Corinthian community’s problems. In his commentary on this passage, Jeffrey D. Jones writes that the Corinthian church was “doing real and potentially destructive battle with each other over a number of issues. Paul inserts this passage in his letter not to offer pious reflection on the way things should be, but rather to call the Corinthians to account for their behavior. Everything he says love is not, they are; everything he says love is, they are not” (Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 1). The Corinthian church was trapped in a cycle of conflict exacerbated by those who were envious, boastful, angry, rude, and insistent on their own way. According to Paul, radical, ethical agape is the salve of peace. You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. An order of worship for January 30, 2022. This liturgy is free to use. The Uniform Lesson for January 30, 2022, by Richard Boyce. Love is... — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale  4th Sunday after Epiphany — Family faith formation by Rebecca Davis IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Presbyterian committee recommends denominational divestment from five energy companies The Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment voted unanimously to ask General Assembly to authorize PC(USA) divestment from Chevron, ExxonMobil, Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66, and Valero Energy. — Leslie Scanlon Winter books briefly noted Outlook Book Review Editor Amy Pagliarella highlights some of 2021's best books.  Sermons as poems, poems as sermons: an invitation to a new practice Pastor Andrew Taylor-Troutman shares his sermon writing ritual of crafting a sonnet.  General Assembly 2022 will require COVID vaccination, masks The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly has put forth new guidelines for General Assembly 2022. — Leslie Scanlon A new example of leadership: Learning to say “no” Chaplain Maggie Alsup shares one of the most influential lessons that she has learned in ministry. Presbyterian Mission Agency drafts a plan to focus on climate change, militarism, and gender discrimination The Presbyterian Mission Agency issues a draft of its plans for a comprehensive restructuring and vision for the agency's future. — Leslie Scanlon

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