What is love?

1 Cor 14:4-7

In 1993, five years before the couple before us were born, Nestor Haddaway dropped his biggest hit.

Do you remember how it goes?

What is love? Baby, don't hurt me Don't hurt me, no more

I won’t continue and hurt your ears…

But do you know it?

If you’re not it in know, this was one of the biggest bangers of the 90s.

It actually asks a great question.

What is love?

I wonder how you’d answer that?

Haddaway’s hit was catchy and cool, but it’s safe to say that it didn’t really help to answer the question.

With lines like ‘I can’t go on’ and ‘when were together it’s you and me forever’

His lyrics were emotive… But they seemed to reveal a man who’s probably experiencing infatuation, more than love.

So what is love? About 1944 years before Kyle and Mikaela were born, another man tried answering the same question.

But far from being a Eurodance artist, this man claimed to have a bit of divine authority behind him, penning God’s own words…

Words that have stood the test of time.

And in four lines, we’re told what love is and what it’s not.

What it is:

Patient

Kind

Protective

Trusting

Rejoices in truth

Hopeful

Perservering

What it’s not:

Envious

Boastful

Proud

Dishonouring

Self-seeking

Easily angered

Record keeping

Delighting in evil

In a sentance, love is this:

Love is sacrifice

When we’re being patient with a person, we’re sacrifcing our time.

When we’re being kind, we’re sacrificing our desire to put ourselves first.

When we’re being protective, we’re sacfiricing our own safety or reputation for another.

When we’re rejoicing in truth, we’re sacrificing our desire to justify negative feelings towards another…

I’m sure that anyone who’s married here today can relate to this.

When a relationship is in the infatuation stage, nothing seems like a sacrifice, but two years in, that often starts to change!

And it’s probably then when a couple know whether they actually love someone or not. Are they prepared to sacfrice for their spouse no matter the cost?

Kyle and Mikaela are one such couple.

They’ve been together for 8 years! Four of those, were long distance!

Mikaela, you sacfriced the comfort and convenience of an inperson relationship, so that Kyle could go off to Canberra and study.

Kyle, I’m not sure what you’ve really sacfriced… Quite frankly you’re punching above your weight mate!

But perhaps your new found love of golf may give you an experierence of what Makaela’s been through… When she rightly asks for help with the gardening on Saturday morning… And looking sadly your clubs, you slowly nod your head and fetch the lawn mower…

Friends…

Love is sacrifice

For those here today who’s marriage isn’t where they want it to be… or who’s relationships status isn’t where they want it to be…

Be encouraged… This is what love is.

Start sacrificing for the one you love. If you find that hard and difficult, which we all do…

Then I encourage you to do what I do when I find love hard.

Look to the one who loved completely and sacrificed everything for humanity.

The God-man Jesus Christ displayed love so grandly that by knowing that love, you can love more fully.

Friends may that be encouragenent not just for the beautiful couple but for all us.

This is good news on a good day as we celebrate two good people who have decided to sacrifice the freedom of singleness and choice of partner, to make the highest commitment possible…

To make a promise before God and thir community that they’re going to stay together, for better and for worse, in sickness or in health, until death do them apart.

Let