Inauguration Day

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:1-13 (NIV)

I feel like a dope. I missed the message that Martin Luther King holiday was supposed to be about service. Instead, not only did I reveal in using the day to make the world a better place for me, but I blogged about it, too. Would I do things differently if I had known? I certainly wouldn’t have blogged about my slothfulness, but after spending the weekend making sure a young mom-to-be got lots of lovely gifts, teaching a Sunday School lesson about how relationships are more important than programs and attending a fund raiser for our local community theater, can I get a pass just this once? After hearing President Obama’s inauguration speech, I am inspired to do and be more. No matter who you voted for, you have to admit that he is a marvelous orator. Here are some sound bites that impressed me: “Every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, American has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideas of our fore bearers, and true to our founding documents.” “In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned.” “The spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.” “Hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.” And of course, the historian in me loved the reference to George Washington, “America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.” I thought the most thought provoking of all phrases he used was this one, “We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.” Taken from one of my favorite passages of the Bible, often called, “The Love Chapter,” these words written by the Apostle Paul almost two thousand years ago remind us of the only real motivator to service, love. All the fancy talk, the good intentions, the pity or the desire for change, will get us no where without love. For love, never fails. The question remains, “How do you legislate love?”