Advent 2021: Love

Micah 5:2-6 Translation

And you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, small among the clans of Judah, from you a ruler of Israel will rise up for me. His origin is from the ancient days of old.

Therefore he will give them up until the time when she bears a child in labor, and the rest of his brothers will return to the people of Israel.

He will stand and shepherd the flock with the might of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of his God Yawheh. They will live because now he is great unto the edges of the earth.

And this one will be peace.

If Assyria comes in our land and tramples our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight chiefs of the people.

They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its gates. He will deliver us from Assyria so that we may come to our land walk within our borders.

Luke 1:39-56 Translation

Now in those days Mary got up and traveled quickly to the hill country, to a city of Judah. She entered the home of Zachariah and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child in her womb leapt and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She cried out, shouting loudly, and said, “You are blessed among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Where did this come from, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For look: as the sound of your greeting came to my ear, the child in my womb leapt with joy. Now Blessed is the woman who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.

So Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord! My spirit rejoices over God my savior!

For he has looked favorably upon his humble servant. For Look: from now all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty one has done great things to me, and His name is Holy.

His mercy is for generations and generations to those who fear him. He has done powerful things by his arm, He has scattered those who are arrogant in the thoughts of their hearts.

He brings down the powerful from their thrones, and lifts up the humble.

He satisfies the hungry with good things, and the rich he sends away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, a memorial of his mercy.

Just as he said to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever.”

Mary stayed with her for about three months, and returned to her house.

All We Need Is Love?

It’s popular to say that “all we need is love”

Most people would agree that the world would look better if everyone loved one another

Deep down, people don’t actually seem to agree with this

Two reasons: 1) Love is Foolish, 2) “Love” is misunderstood

Love is foolish

Really a question of how much to love someone, and who deserves our love.

If we love some people, they will certainly hurt us

Examples

What if the money we send to day doesn’t actually go to what we want it to?

Child taking advantage of parents

Love isn’t understood

What do we even mean by “love” anyway?

Does love mean we should all “like” each other? If so, we have no hope at all for that

Does love mean tolerance? If so, we might object as we realize somethings simply are intolerable

What is Love?

The New Revised Standard Version God Is Love

7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 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. 10 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. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus the True Vine

13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

If we do not know what love is, we do not know who God is, because God is Love

Jesus is the clearest revelation of God we have ever recieved. Christ is God become human, and Christ revealed to us the perfect image of love by laying down his life for us

God is love

Trinity

There is no other way but to love for God

By God’s love, we see that love is a movement

Love is to desire good for the other

By desiring good for the other, we move out from ourselves and toward the other

Thus love is unifying

Love, Ecstasy, Mary, and Elizabeth

Love One Another