If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
I Corinthians 13:1
Saint Paul spends chapter twelve of his First Letter to the Corinthians talking about the varieties of gifts and talents that make each person unique. Each person is part of the Body of Christ (the Church) and the fabric of society, which gives each person a unique way to contribute to the welfare of the world and the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And this variety is a good thing. Because many diverse gifts are needed in order to cover all the bases in society and also to spread the Gospel.
He ends chapter twelve mentioning the “higher gifts” and points us now to the more excellent way, the one thing that unites us all, and that is love. We are all called to love. We are all capable of loving God and one another. We all need the love of God and other people. Love is a choice and love is also a necessity. We are wired to love and to be loved. Because God is love and because God has put Himself inside each of us in our souls, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
The first three verses of I Corinthians 13 give three concrete examples of worldly accomplishments that if separate from love mean very little. He writes in verse 13:1, If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Let’s first go to the gong and the clanging cymbal. Both of these are instruments used to augment a beautiful orchestral arrangement of music. On their own, both just make annoying noises. When played in an orchestra, with strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion, they create a beauty and depth to the piece being played.
The tongues of men refers to all the voices we hear in the world. We hear voices of academia, people who are smart and teach and articulate complex topics like philosophy, business, language, and art. We hear voices of politicians which spew forth hopes and dreams for the future of a municipality, state or country. We hear the voice of businessmen giving vision and inspiration for products and services. We hear the voices of law enforcement asking for order and compliance. We hear voices of journalists sharing news and opinions. There are the voices of engineers that build according to code. The voices of doctors who encourage healthy living. The voices of coaches who demand excellence from their players. There are voices of spouses who express love and passion for their spouse, and the voices of parents who express love and encouragement for their children. There are lots of voices in the world. But if these voices do not speak with love, they are just uncomfortable noises, like a cymbal and a gong without an orchestra. When they speak with love, then they become part of the orchestra that creates beautiful music.
If the voices described above really did speak with love, our society would represent a masterpiece of a composition. Because we do not speak with love as we should, we hear a cacophony of “noise,” everyone singing off a different sheet of music, not following direction, not playing in sync. Life without love is cacophony. And cacophony does not mean “many voices” but actually means “bad voices.” Even worse than disunity is when something is utterly unpleasant.
The tongues of angels refers to the Church. We expect the Church to be a respite from the noise of society. We don’t expect cacophony from the church by symphony (the same voice). And yet, when we take love out of the church, it becomes just the same cacophony we hear out in the world when we are not at church. How does this happen?
In the Orthodox world, it actually happens very easily. We have elaborate services and it is very tempting to worship our worship, instead us using worship to worship Christ. It is very easy to become enamored with vestments, icons, decoration, even good music. When we worship the trappings of Orthodoxy but do not worship God, then we are like a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. Same thing with eloquent sermons and thoughtful reflections—it is very easy as a priest and as an author to be tempted to present for the glory of self rather than the glory of God. Can one build a ministry without God? The answer is actually yes. One can say and do all the things of ministry and still not have a sense of God in his own heart. That is perhaps the greatest temptation for priests, to get so caught up in ministry that we think it our ministry, rather than God’s.
If we speak eloquent words but we do not have love, we are just making noise, cacophony, rather than being part of the symphony, the organized music that sounds melodious and beautiful. If we live life without love, what good is life? Take the love of God and the love of people out of life, whether we are loving them or being loved by them, and life actually has no meaning and purpose.
Lord, you have entrusted each of us with a role to play in Your orchestra of life. Help me to become good at my “instrument” and to help play in tune with the rest of the world. Help me to do this with love and with joy, so that I help create symphony and help combat cacophony. May my voice always seek to sing Your praises, as well as to be a voice of love and encouragement for others. Amen.
What good is life without love? Not very good at all.
