THE SCENARIO It wer’ ‘bout a quarter a’ three in the aftrnoon’ an’ hot as the dickens. Maybella grabbed them kidsa’ hers—Teemy, an’ Tilly, an’ Tawny—an’ took off fer a short drive in ther’ ol’ clunker with all the winders down, and boy did the wind in them faces and o’er them arms feel mighty good. Goin’ nowher’ in perticlr’, alongn’ the bumpy ol’ gravl’ road that be leadin’ to the little country chirch wher’ Maybella git mawrried ‘bout twelve year ago. Nice little country chirch I do say. Got a steeple an’ a bell, got a perty white picket fence about. O alln’all sittin’ on a couple acre er so a’ oaks an’ pines an’ alfalfie an’ fescooh an’ bluegrass an’ dandeelions an’ wild flowrs’ an’ the like. Ya’ otta’ see them hummin’ birds an’ butterflies playin’ in them flowrs’—it’s a sight fer sore eyes. Got a place fer the youngsters to play games, ya’ know, hoops, an’ hop-scotch, an’ badminton, an’ that ther’ football, one of my favoreets back in my youngr’ days. Got a few picnicn’ tables spread about unner’ them oaks fer them eatin’ occajens’ an’ git togetherns folks here cain’t git enough of. An’ well, got a cemetery roun’ out back. Ther’ be a cemetery yonder out back. That be wher’ Maybella’s beloved an’ the kids’ daddy Frenly lay booreed. Yup, Frenly be home now with hisn’ Lord an’ great savior God Jesus Christ.
Maybella be a’ missin’ Frenly right sore. I reckon that be why she end up at my little country chirch on that hot summer aftrnoon’ jist a few day ago, goin’ nowher’ in perticlr’. Hi ther’. My name be Pastor Grennpaw. I pastor this here little country chirch that be jist down the road a piece from Maybella’s place. I’d sher like to talk to ya’ if I might ‘bout Maybella an’ Frenly an’ the kids an’ this here loveely little country chirch that be a’ preachin’ Jesus, the love a’ Jesus. Come on, come on inside outta’ the heat; let’s be a’ sittin’ down a spell in the sanctuary an’ have us a talk—got fans in ther’.
Maybella an’ Frenly become sweethearts early on in life. They met at a Bible study, jist yonder, on the uther side a’ the sanctuary. I rawmember we was studyin’ 1Corinthians13:1-3, 4-8a, 8-13. We was studyin’ the great love chapter a’ the Bible. Maybella an’ Frenly was a’ vowin’ to make them ther’ verses a lifelong commeetment btwixt’ themselves an’ ther’ Lord Jesus, an’ btwixt’ each uthern’. Hows about we takes usn’ a look at them dandy verses, ya’ willin’?
That ther’ first buncha’ verses really makes a body wonder jist what be important, don’ it? Looky here, a body might really think it be somethin’, but ya’ ain’t nothin’ without love what it be a’ sayin’. We talked ‘bout thatn’ fer a good bit I rawmember’. Why be a body nothin’ without love? A body ain’t nothin’ without love cause a body ain’t nothin’ without God. Ya’ see, God be love. Jist what the dickens be love we was sayin’ to each uthern? An’ we come upon it that God be love (Fig. 1). That kinda love it ain’t foun’ down here wher’ you an’ I an’ uthern’ folk be spendin’ our days. Maybella an’ Frenly knew that; doggone smart kids them two. Love be conectin’ to God’s love cause He Hisself be love; connectin’ through Jesus. Them two lovebirds didn’ need be taught that un’. An’ that be the kinda’ love that was connectin’ them to each uthern’ them two. Ain’t that a plum lovin’ like that, when it be that kinda’ love that be a’ connectin’ folk?
Look at them next buncha’ verses cause it be in them, that connectin’ I was referrin’ to (1Corinthians 13:4-8a). Them next buncha’ verses otta’ put some humble pie in a body. A body ain’t nothin’ if it won’ do ‘em, them next buncha’ verses. No connectin’. No connectin’ an’ downright no nothin’ then. Jist look at ‘em fren’, them next buncha’ verses. Lets look at ‘em a little up closer fren’, ya’ wanna’? Love be patient. I ain’t much patient, is you? O I reckon I can be patient sometime when it come to doin’ my own thing, but I reckon God be a’ sayin’ here that love it be patient with folk an’ stuff that burn a body up sore. Puttin’ it simple—flyin’ off the handle at ‘em or holdin’ stuff agin’ ‘em ferever ain’t love. Waitin’, puttin’ up with stuff, ain’t no biggy if a body be lovin’ anuthern’. I reckon God done a bunch a’ waitin’ an’ puttin’ up with stuff from me an’ boy O boy I still be a’ kickin’ down here an’ done been promised that I be a’ gittin’ a perty nice place out yonder somewher’ right close wher’ God be an’ ferever too an’ now ain’t that a plum? I reckon He be lovin’ me. I love Him too, wanna’ be a’ connectin’ better with Him. An’ then He be a’ sayin’ love be kind. Them two lovebirds was kind to each uthern’. Ol’ Frenly wer’ a kind feller. That be why folk callin’ him Frenly. He was a kind feller that ol’ Frenly wer’. He was kind to Maybella. Ya’ know the sorta’ stuff I’m talkin’ ‘bout—he was nice, an’ gentle, an’ carin’, puttin’ hisself in her gumboots, jist like she done fer him, that sorta’ stuff be what I be referrin’ to. I reckon Jesus put Hisself in our gumboots too didn’ He? I git this feelin’ ol’ Frenly an’ Jesus be talkin’ it up good these days. An’ love ain’t all green eyeballed jeelous. Now my my my. That jeelousy thing be a slickster. It be flat undoin’ a body. Love ain’t like that, it ain’t jeelous of anuthern’. I’m thinkin’ that God be a’ wantin’ usn’ to love even them fellers we wannna’ punch in the nose like that—pray fer ‘em that they git good stuff an’ blessins’ an’ the like an’ take it with a big ol’ smile when they git them blessins’. That ol’ devil ain’t like that. That ol’ devil be a jeelous thing. An’ ther’ ain’t no love in that ol’ boy is ther’? Jeelousy undid him, didn’ it? An’ God be a’ sayin’ love don’ brag an’ it ain’t all puffed up. O look at me, looky what I got, looky here what I can do an’ on an’ on like that. Don’ that jist make a feller sick? God ain’t got the bighead like that an’ if ever a feller had the right to have the bighead it be Him but He don’ do that an’ He don’ wan’ usn’ actin’ silly an’ foolish struttin’ like that silly ol’ peacock I got out in the barnyerd but ruther gittin’ down low so that anuthern’ be comfy with usn’ like Jesus was a’ gittin’ low an’ makin’ utherns comfy roun’ Hisself.That be a’ connectin’ with anuthern’, lovin’ ‘em, connectin’ with that ther’ love a’ God. An’ love ain’t brute rude, mowin’ anuthern’ down, gittin’ the rascal out of the way no matter what. An’ it don’ get ticked off right fast, keepin’ a ledgr’ ‘bout this an’ that an’ the uther cause little ol’ me done git my toes stumpid’ by some uthern’. Ain’t it jista’ plum that God don’ keep no ledgr’ with usn’ thanks to Jesus? He be lovin’ usn’ be why. We gotta’ be connectin’ with that love a’ His. Jesus done showed usn’ how. Them two lovebirds was conectin’ with Jesus, an’ they was connectin’ with each uthern’. An’ I can see it in them kids a’ thers’; they was’ teachin’ them young’uns ‘bout connectin’ with Jesus, an’ them young’uns took to it right good. An’ love always be a’ pullin’ fer what be right, cause that’ll do anuthern’ the most good. Jesus done that kinda’ pullin’ fer usn’ on the Cross. God was a’ pullin’ fer usn’ like that on the Cross in Jesus. We gotta’ be connectin’ with that love a’ His. An’ love ever be a’ hopin’, never givin’ up, never givin’ up on anuthern, fergivin’, lookin’ fer the good that be ther’ if it be possible, buildin’ on it. Well all that ther’ be love and by God’s grace Maybella an’ Frenly an’ them uthern’ that was a’ studyin’with usn’ come upon it and be tryin’ to connect with it aright. It be so perty that love a’ Hisn’, itn’ it? Now look at them last buncha verses (1Corinthians 13:8-13). Things ain’t perfict down here. We be doin’ the best we can but things ain’t perfict an’ the stuff we be a’ doin’ ain’t perfict cause the stuff we got in han’ an’ heart to work with ain’t perfict. We muddle alongn’ down here, tryin’ to connect to somethin’ better, somethin’ perfict, to that love a’ God we been talkin’ ‘bout, but we ain’t connectin’ so good. We jist got a picture a’ the real deal today, somethin’ that Jesus done showed usn’, but we ain’t connectin’ so good. God be a’ sayin that love, Hisn’, Hisn’ love, that be the real deal that be a' missin’ down here in the land a’ the livin’, and that be a’ comin’ when He do come agin’ to git His own. That be when that ther’ picture become the real deal and we be connectin’ good then all aroun’ up and down. An’ ya’ know when He be a’ comin’ be when them ther’ two lovebirds, and all them uthern’ lovebirds like ‘em that be connectin’ with Jesus, from all o’er this here good earth goin’ way back, git to hol’ hans’ agin’, snuggled up close with Jesus in btween’ an’ btwixt’.
Fren’ we be havin’ usn’ a bean an’ cornbread dinner with pies an’ cookies an’ melons an’ jist all kindsa’ stuff fer deessert o’er yonder in the picnicn’ area unner’ them oaks little later on an’ a Gospel sing on after that this evenin’ right here in the sanctuary, we’d sher love fer ya’ to come an’ praise Jesus with usn’ (“A Letter of Invitation”)!
Praised be yer perty Name in all the earth great savior God, yon Real Deal. We love ya’, and wanna’ be connectin’. Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES
Figure 1. “...But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love...” (1Corinthians 13:13). Why is love the greatest here?
WORKS CITED AND REFERENCES
“A Letter of Invitation.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/aletterofinvitation.html >