在詩梅的婚禮上，她的母親朗讀了哥林多前書中一段優美的經文。哥林多前書13章常被稱為聖經「愛的篇章」，確實非常適合這個場合：「愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈；愛是不嫉妒，愛是不自誇，不張狂」（4節）。我一邊聽一邊想，不知現代的新娘和新郎是否知道，什麼原因讓使徒保羅寫下如此激動人心的話語。其實保羅並不是在寫情詩，這位使徒是在向一個分裂的教會發出懇求，希望能消除他們之間嚴重的分歧。

學者坎貝爾（Douglas A. Campbell）表示，簡單來說，哥林多教會就是一團糟。教會充滿了各種問題，包括亂倫和淫亂；領袖間互相競爭，會友之間的訴訟也屢見不鮮；敬拜時更是一片混亂，說方言的人爭著要先發聲，而說預言的人則是為了顯示自己很屬靈（參閱哥林多前書14章）。

坎貝爾說：「造成這種混亂的根本原因，在於教會不能以愛彼此相待。」保羅藉著傳講愛，顯示了教會更好的相處方式，因為「愛是永不止息。先知講道之能，終必歸於無有；說方言之能，終必停止；知識也終必歸於無有」（13章8節）。

保羅這篇愛的教導無疑激勵了參加婚禮的賓客，但願這些話語也激勵我們所有人活出愛和恩慈。

At Meredith’s wedding, her mother read a beautiful Scripture from 1 Corinthians. Often called “the love chapter” of the Bible, the thirteenth chapter sounded perfect for the occasion. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” (v. 4). Listening, I wondered if modern brides and grooms knew what prompted the apostle’s stirring words. Paul wasn’t writing a love poem. The apostle penned a plea to a divided church in an effort to heal its raging divisions.

Simply put, the church at Corinth “was a mess,” says scholar Douglas A. Campbell. Seething problems included incest, prostitution, and rivalry among leaders. Lawsuits between members weren’t uncommon. Worship was often chaotic—with those speaking in tongues competing to be heard first, and others prophesying to look impressive (see 1 Corinthians 14).

Underlying this chaos, says Campbell, was “a basic failure in relating to one another in love.” To show the more excellent way, Paul preached love because “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” (13:8).

Paul’s loving reminders can certainly encourage a wedding party. May they also inspire all of us to live out love and kindness too.