Archive for the ‘love’ Tag
Your Highest Goal: Making Love the Center of the Christian Life
Love is arguably the word most used—and with the widest range of definitions in our culture. From song lyrics to Valentine’s Day celebrations, everyone talks about love, yet defining it proves surprisingly difficult. Ask a room full of people what love means, and you’re likely to get answers “all over the map.”
Yet Scripture makes it clear that love is not a vague or optional idea. The word love appears repeatedly throughout the Gospels—78 times in total, with a striking concentration in John chapters 13–17. These are Jesus’ own words, spoken at the most intimate moment with His disciples. From the very beginning, John tells us that God’s love entered the world through Jesus (John 1:17). When Jesus is asked to identify the greatest commandment, He responds that loving God fully and loving our neighbour as ourselves sums up the entire Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:38–40). Later, He gives His disciples a “new command”: to love one another as He has loved them—declaring that this love will be the defining mark of His followers (John 13:33–34).
Clearly, love sits at the very heart of apprenticeship to Jesus.
The apostles understood this as well. The letters of the New Testament use the word love over 170 times. In addressing the Corinthian church’s understanding of spiritual gifts, Paul makes a striking statement: “Make love your highest goal” (1 Corinthians 14:1). He devotes an entire chapter—1 Corinthians 13—to explaining that love is the foundation for all the work of the Holy Spirit. Without love, even the most impressive spiritual activity amounts to nothing.
Because love is so central to Jesus’ teaching and the life of the Church, this new series sets out to go deeper—not only to understand what love is, but to learn how we can become people who are genuinely characterised by it.
One challenge we face is that most modern definitions of love focus on feelings and emotions—things we cannot control or command. As Dharius Daniels in his book “re-Presenting Jesus “observes, “feelings can be managed but not commanded“. This creates a problem, because Jesus does command us to love, and to love in the way He loves (John 15:17). That means love as Jesus demonstrated must be more than emotion; it must be something visible, intentional, and embodied.
The New Testament most often uses the Greek word agape to describe God’s love. Rather than defining it abstractly, the best way to understand agape is by looking at the life of Jesus Himself. Over the coming weeks, this series will do exactly that—examining how Jesus lives out love, using 1 Corinthians 13:4–6 as a lens through which to observe His actions and character.
To help frame this journey, a working definition of love—drawn from Jesus’ life and the wisdom of Scripture—has been introduced and will remain visible throughout the series, open to refinement as we continue learning together. Agape-To make an absolute priority of, and to work relentlessly for, the absolute best for another person(s) without expecting a return
To launch this exploration, the sermon concludes in an unusual way: with a story. Stories often reveal truth more powerfully than explanations, and few modern writers capture the lived reality of love better than Bob Goff. The opening story from his book Love Does offers a compelling picture of what it looks like when love moves beyond words and becomes action—a fitting invitation into a series devoted to making love our highest goal.
I know I have not written for some while and maybe what follows goes some way to explaining why. As Maggie has been working with her 6th grade students in preparation for returning to some form of in-person teaching, she has been encouraging them to write down their experiences of the past year to make sure they do not forget. As I sat in quiet this morning with my journal open I thought that maybe I should do the same. This is what resulted:
I remember that the initial shock of beginning “shelter in place” was in some ways exciting. We launched into new and previously unknown territory with problems to solve and strategies to develop. For our church, our previously limited online presence became the main event. We worked as a team praying, thinking and planning. We learned from our mistakes and were all engaged in the challenges of helping one another. How could we respond to the needs of our community and maintain some connectivity? We learned to do church in a different way and asked ourselves what is God doing, what can we learn? Personally I began to appreciate the focus that came with working at home. I really enjoyed being with Maggie everyday as she grappled with the challenges of online teaching.
Soon it became clear that the end of these strange times was not coming anytime soon. Phrases like “the new normal” appeared in articles and news bulletins along with “unprecedented.” and “unheard of!” At the same time as the appearance of this new language, cracks began to become evident in relationships. The inability to see each other face to face allowed those cracks to widen as differences of opinion and ideas emerged. Echo chambers formed as we found ways to talk with people that agreed with us and avoid those with whom we differed.
Little did we know that just ahead of us were two events that would again make significant changes to our cultural and social landscape. On May 25th the news of the tragic killing of George Floyd flooded the news outlets. Over the next weeks this brought to the surface fresh and necessary attention to the racism that infects our nation. However, rather than causing us to come together in the face of injustice it simply provided another forum for differences in life experiences, let alone opinions and perspectives. The cracks multiplied and became wider as the rhetoric in social media became louder and more combative.Then of course on the horizon, approaching rapidly, was the perfect storm of an election in a nation already as politically divided as at any time in recent history
As the year progressed, divisions and isolation increased. Along with them, some underlying questions seemed to become more and more prevalent “What about me?” Why is nobody listening to me?” We continued to search for people who think like us, so we can feel safe. But all the time culture and community became more and more divided, and as a consequence significantly more unsafe for everyone!
Now, as we approach the prospect of a much wider re-opening, we must face a new challenge. How will we deal with the bridges that have been broken and the cracks that have become so wide? Will we, like Adam and Eve at the dawn of creation, look around for someone to blame and hence simply reinforce the brokenness we are all experiencing.
Oh the other hand could we take a different and admittedly more difficult approach. Could we grasp humility in both hands, emerge from our echo chambers, and take the initiative to say sorry for the part we have played in divisions. Might we, in turn, forgive those who we believe have wronged and hurt us. As a consequence could we participate in the active healing of our community?
I know for me right now, I am tired and discouraged. I am struggling to find the excitement and anticipation of planning again for what will be new. I am realizing that soon I will be at home alone without Maggie in the other room (except of course I will have Maisey, our four month old boxer puppy!) I am recognizing the relationships with many that I valued and love are deeply changed. Can I find the energy to think, write, inspire and anticipate all that God is going to do?
I believe the answer, for me at least, is yes. I know that God is still on the throne, He still has a plan and He is still working it out. I believe that although it will be extraordinarily difficult at times, if I can humble myself, we can do this together. We can learn to love each other, while listening to and seeking to understand our differences. If we accept this challenge when the next crisis occurs, and it will, we will be better equipped and stronger to face it together and show the world what it really means to follow Jesus.
Sometimes people send you things that you know that you just have to share. As we engage with the ongoing question of racism and racial unrest in our nation, one of our church family, Shannon Randolph, sent us a prayer that expresses powerfully how I feel. I asked her if I could share it with you:
Reconciliation
We acknowledge our part in this time – our responsibility in this season. We come, with heavy hearts. On our watch, we have abdicated our duties with the sins of omission and commission, choosing not to see what is clearly in front of us. The foundation of Your throne, righteousness and justice, has not been upheld by Your people who know this. Now the fruit of our apathy, denial, disregard and ignorance is manifesting. We plead guilty to it all. We have not stewarded Your heart expressed in diversity. Every human is our brother. Though our hearts cannot truly comprehend or feel the weight of this egregiousness, still we come and repent. We want to change our ways. We fall on Your mercy, asking for help for our weak flesh. We can do nothing apart from You. We are Your people, called by Your name. We humble ourselves and seek Your face. We turn from our wicked ways. We know You hear from heaven and will forgive our sins. We repent of any participation in racist words or actions that we have fed the beast that has led us to this place in history. We take on this lifestyle and present our lives to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Holy Spirit pierce us until we practice every ‘one another’ in Your word. Lead us and show us how to do this. Heal our wounded hearts so we can do what’s in Your heart to heal our land. Have Your way.
Psalm 60:2-3
You have made the earth tremble, You have broken it. Now come and heal it, for it is shaken to its depths. You have shown Your people hard things and made us drink the wine of bewilderment.
Acts 17:26 Lord, You have set the boundaries of peoples and nations, even appointing our time in history.
Lord, increase our sensitivity. We bow in Your grace, that our words would become appropriate actions, that we would face correction, own our mistakes, apologize for wounds inflicted and represent You well.
Jesus, You came to reconcile ALL things to Yourself, the things of earth and heaven, making peace through Your shed blood on the cross. We focus on the triumph of the gospel. Let the redemption of reconciliation begin in this arena. Bind us together with cords of love that cannot be broken, that we may be made one, as You prayed, that the world would know You are love.
Decree: Our current national pain of racial injustice will become the burning wick of revival and justice, fanned into the flames of the Great Awakening.
From the Zebra Bag 