Scripture: 1 John
4:8 God is love
I honestly thought by the time I
reached my present age, I would have all the answers or most of them
anyway. Well, it hasn’t happened, and
I’m still on this spiritual journey as many of you are.
However, John’s “God is love”
statement is one that speaks to me about the nature of God. It’s straight forward, simple easy to grasp
at first blush, yet demanding. Let’s
explore.
Doesn’t that “love” statement
resonate when you enter our sanctuary?
You can feel the warmth, support, connectedness, and love embracing you
as you peer into familiar faces and friendly smiles. You experience it through
Sunday school, Bible Study, sharing a meal with a friend, walking with a
neighbor, and on and on.
However, that’s the easy part,
isn’t it? How about loving the
unlovely….the homeless, the abused, the abusers, the marginalized, the
pedophiles, ruthless gang members, pimps, killers, warmongers, the mentally
ill, drug dealers, etc.
Yes, church, Sunday School, Bible
study, prayer are all a huge part of our faith experience. Yet, I fervently believe if we’re not acting
as the hands and feet of Jesus in dealing with our fellow human beings, we’re
not fulfilling our responsibility as persons of faith.
So during this Lenten season,
let’s focus on God’s extravagant love flowing into our very being with new
energy to touch persons with a depth we’ve never experienced before.
Prayer: Creator God, help us to love generously those
who are easy to love as well as those who are tough to tolerate much less love.
Give us the strength to speak out against injustice where we see it and the
courage to act on behalf of these injustices.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
