I Corinthians 13. Love as a gift. A gift of God, a gift for service. The love chapter, the wedding theme, the greatest commandment as narrative poem. I've known of it nearly as long as I can remember, but somehow never noticed its context. It falls in the midst of teachings on spiritual gifts. Paul coaxes his readers to use their gifts as a fluid, functioning body, to honor and accept the differences that allow them to work together for the good of the church and to take their position as members of that body. Desire the greatest gifts he tells them, then immediately explains how meaningless they all are without a wellspring of love. It's the backdrop of marriage, of family, of all of Christian living. It directs the use of the gifts in chapter 14 as Paul continues his teaching on the power of gifts to lead and teach those who are without the love of God.