Last Saturday I conducted the wedding for a young couple at our church building. The bride, and her family have been part of our community for many years.

At university she met and fell in love with a young man. He felt the same, so they got engaged which led to them getting married!

It was a beautiful occasion: the bride looked stunning, along with her bridesmaids. The groom and his groomsmen looked pretty good too! The room was filled with the fragrance of freshly cut summer flowers.

After the vows had been exchanged I spoke about love. I briefly unpacked four different Greek words used to describe love in the Bible. One of them is Agape.

This is the highest form of love, and is how God loves us. It is unconditional, selfless, and sacrificial. It’s not a feeling, but an act of the will.

I encouraged the young couple to have this kind of love for each other. I concluded my talk by focusing on a famous passage in the Bible about love…

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, 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.”

— 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 The NIV Bible

At the wedding, I wanted to make it more personal for them at the start of their married life. And so adapted it and read…

Be patient, be kind, do not envy, do not boast, do not be proud.

Do not dishonour others, do not be self-seeking.

Do not be easily angered, keep no record of wrongs.

Do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth.

Always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere.

I don’t believe that these verses are just to be used at weddings, as Paul wrote them to a Christian community in Corinth.

Let me encourage you to personalise it, and ask God to help you live, and love in the ‘Agape’ way.

God bless you:)

Gary Bastin

Hope Community Church leader