Furthering Thoughts for April 24th 2019
“It’s more than that”…. Words that are spoken in any pre-marital counseling session as the Pastor would convey to the couple that love is not rooted in butterflies and rainbows, or romance and feeling but true love begins, continues and ends in Christ Jesus. “Too often, we think of love as an emotion”, and so easily does this become a rollercoaster of love. Up and down, left and right, loop to loop, the result that begins in the misunderstanding of true love.
It is so so soooooo important that as we look at marriage, [literally one of the most important decisions of our lives], that both people understand what true love is. For if this is misunderstood, the rollercoaster is here to stay. I tell my daughter this, “you need to know what you are looking for in your future relationship…asking the right questions is so important” [Yes, as I speak an eye roll commences]..but I begin with the question, “What is love?”. Such an important question to ask.
This is love. Ephesians 5, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” Just an fyi, do you ever wonder why I always try to give Communion [at the same time] to both people in marriage? To remind them always, that their relationship is rooted in the forgiveness of sins given in Christ Jesus. The key to love is Christ.
Not only in marriage but also in all of your other relationships. Jesus says in Luke 6, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you….if you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you?”.
“Love is learned”. We hear it, we read it, we dwell and pray upon it, as love is illuminated in the work of Christ. Time and time and again, Sunday after Sunday, preaching after preaching, Communion after Communion, Baptism after Baptism, bible study after bible study, prayer after prayer, we hear and receive the gifts of our Lord by His Word, the Gospel for the forgiveness of our sins. As our faith is strengthened by the Spirit, as we are lead by His Word, the love for one another also blooms as we see our many vocations/ opportunities that once we did not see before.
All because of the love of Christ for us. This is a constant…our center..our being…
Even in our witness…There is nothing new under the sun.
Simply, love and serve, share and listen, empathize and console in the Gospel that has loved you first. Through faithfully equipping yourself in the Word and Sacraments, there we go, strengthened to love, serve and share the message of Christ. And thus we go on,and soon you will find that many people will say, “Wow, that Jeff Mark, that Anthony Payne…that Cindy Jensen, that Carrie Breitung..[and the rest of you 🙂 ]….how joyful they are in loving their neighbor..I want that too”.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” John 15:12
Amen.