Love Requires Sacrifice (Luke 18:31-End, 1 Corinthians 13.1-13)
Sacrifice is a harsh word isn’t it. Just picture that word in your head for a moment. Sacrifice. It often feels like it should have a prominent full stop after it doesn’t it? I wonder what kinds of things come into your heads when you think about the word sacrifice. For me two separate images come into my head about it: Firstly, the image of ritual sacrifice, like ancient Jewish people would have done in Jesus’ day, the sacrifice of lambs at the altar of the lord in Jerusalem. In fact many traditional religions still practice this idea of sacrifice today. The notion of offering something up to God, or a deity in order to receive a blessing, or favour, or in ancient Israel’s case to give thanks for God’s abundance and loving kindness. Or to placate God for people’s Sins. It’s in this sense that many sacrifices were offered in the Jewish temple, sacrifices made in thanksgiving for abundance and the sheer generosity of God. Secondly, the image that probably comes to mind more readi