Love as God Loves

Love is a loaded word with many meanings. Many people say there is not enough love in the world today. Some define love in different ways and if you don’t agree with there definition, then you don’t have love. Love is a word that is thrown around towards many different things. Yet, love sometimes doesn’t have a meaning at all.

There is so much division that it is hard to find love anywhere anymore. I see different groups holding on to that word as though they own it and can define it to fit their agenda. How do you define love? What does love mean to you? Who do you love? Why? If someone loves differently than you, do you show that person any less love? Who are we supposed to show love towards? What does really love look like?

The simple answer is God! God is the definition of Love, for God is Love. God created love and was the first to show and give Love. We are going to be reading a part of a letter from the Apostle John today.

Pray and Read 1 John 4:7-21

1 John 4:7–21 NRSV

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Beloved!

Beloved! What a beautiful way to begin this passage. It is like John is reeling you in, like a precious friend who is getting some amazing support and encouragement. “Beloved”, and you just want to move a little closer and make sure you are really listening to what he has to say. This is one apostle that I hope to meet in heaven and get a chance to listen to him. The things he says in his Gospel and in these letters are so beautiful.

The word “Beloved” is a noun, a title like Son, Daughter, Friend, Mom, Dad, Husband and Wife. The one being addressed as “Beloved” is someone who is dearly loved. I call each of you my beloveds. You are loved! You are loved whether you are in the Sanctuary every Sunday morning, or watching the live-stream. I love you! God loves you. Your church family loves you.

Beloved is an endearing title that means a little more than someone who we may call a friend or acquaintance. Yet this day and age we equate feelings of love that are more than friendship to mean something along the lines of someone who you find attractive or of someone who is in your family.

When I say you are my family, this is what I mean. Those of you who are a part of this church family are important to me. I consider you my family, my beloved.

Agape

And as a family, we are called to love as God loves. As John draws us close to hear him speak, he tells us this very important commandment, “Love One Another”. With this, I could tell us that we are to show love to everyone, but honestly, that is not what this particular passage is about. Are we to show love to all of God’s creation, YES! But that is another sermon for another day. This day, I really want to talk about the love that goes before us and is in us. The word for love used here is Agape, which is Greek for love. Yet, when Agape appears in the New Testament, is means nothing less then the Love that comes from God. I have referred to this as God-like love. So, what is this Agape, or God like love?

Agape is from God. If you love like God loves, then you are apart of God. To love like God loves is a sacrificial love. This love goes out of the way to be shown, love that is above and beyond being just kind. This love gives of oneself in a godly manner. God gave us His Son, to reveal this deep love. We did not know what love was until God revealed His love to us. God revealed His love to us first. God loves us before we love Him. Think about this next time you say that you love other people. Are you willing to give to this person as God wills you to give? Are you willing to be with people, talk to people, hear their stories and understand why they have certain opinions that may be different than your own? Jesus loves us this much, and has done so much more for each of us.

Love Feast

So let’s talk about Church for a moment. How do we show this kind of love for one another? Do we take responsibility for one another? To we offer help and care to one another? Do you consider one another your family? How about those who are not present regularly? Do you show love to those who you don’t see all the time?

We are called to love one another. Which means, being the church is to love the church. Love those among us. The early church loved one another by living as a family. They helped each other, and gave to one another. One of the things they did was to share meals with one another. How often do you make time to share a meal with your immediate family? Imagiane, the early church doing the same. Since they all shared their possessions and lived among one another, they also ate together. The shared family meal, where they would also use this special time to worship God with Praise songs and lessons about Jesus, was known as the Love Feast. Our worship Services that we have today came from those Love Feasts. Also, Love Feasts were the precursor to our Communion. Jesus did say that we should, as often as we eat or drink this, do this in remembrance of Him. The breaking of bread, is often a symbol of profound friendship. So when we break bread together, we do this as an act of love and remembrance. We are being one with Christ and one with each other in ministry together.

So now, we will partake in Holy Communion, both in person and over the live stream in your homes. Get your elements ready if you are at home and let us break bread together as a family in Christ.