not love

a few weeks ago i shared this with the community at one of our high st gatherings.  some people had asked for a copy so here it is.  i took it from a brilliant sermon by Joe Dongell at Asbury Theological Seminary (you can down load the sermon from itunes - enter Joe's name and some of the following details and it should show up...09-18-2007 "Chapel sermons from the Kentucky campus of Asbury Theological Seminary").

it is a stirring collection of challenges that has been a good contrast to our careful reading of 1 Cor 13.

 

Our un-love (our immaturity in love) is exposed when:

A word of correction absolutely floors us and we think life is not worth living anymore

Or

When we constantly require delicate tip-toeing treatment from others

Or

When we have trouble admitting that ideas and reflections that we have not generated are actually pretty good

Or

When we gauge our worth by comparing ourselves with others and end up feeling secretly relieved when certain other people fail or have a hard time…and slightly sick to our stomach when other people succeed

Or

When we presume that our own motives are absolutely pure but then ferociously dissect the possible motives of other people with a robust cynical imagination

Or

When we find ourselves obsessing about fairness and are driven to distraction in campaigning to right every single wrong against ourselves

Or

When we are quite delighted in our spectacular demonstrations of love and sacrifice for others but are deeply hurt when our successes are not publicly recognized

Or

When we demand forgiveness from others for our faults but grant forgiveness to others in tiny slivers, tipped with poison

Or

When we advocate tirelessly for justice and mercy, or solid theology, or cultural sensitivity (or whatever it is) while leaving a trail of broken relationships in our own wake

Or

When in hearing a list like this we immediately think of all the other people who needed to hear this list without considering that I might be the man, that I might be that woman.