Thinking about love…
This Sunday (July 3), we are beginning a sermon series on the Fruit of the Spirit. I have the privilege of beginning this series, and discussing the first ‘fruit’ listed in Galatians 5, which is love.
I have quickly realized that this is a HUGE topic! The word ‘love’ appears 613 times in the Bible, and covers everything from our affection for God, for our spouses, children and our neighbours. This is a big concept to condense into a twenty minute message.
As we discuss the fruits of the Spirit, our theme is that we are cultivating character. So I guess my big question is, how do we cultivate love? How do we develop our character so that we become love?
There are all kinds of ‘classic’ passages to talk about, such as the very famous 1 Corinthians 13, or even 1 John 4. But when I think about cultivating a particular type of character, I look to Jesus as presented in the four gospels. How did Jesus model a character marked by love? How did he cultivate love in his own lifestyle?
I think the place to begin is with the discussions he has surrounding the two greatest commandments, what Scot McKnight calls ‘The Jesus Creed.’ The passage in Luke 10 is also where we find the parable of the Good Samaritan. So then, according to Jesus, what is love? A command related to how we respect and show honour to both God and our neighbors. And, to quote a particular lawyer, ‘Who is my neighbour?’
As an answer to this question, God has been challenging me a lot in this area through the Scripture and books that I’ve been reading. My neighbours include the people that live in the community of Douglas, but also the men and women I see on the streets downtown. The ones who are asking for money from passersby, the single moms waiting for their child assistance credits that have been held up by the postal strike. The people sleeping on benches at night. And I can’t help but wonder, how am I loving these neighbours?
As a Jesus follower, I need to be loving all my neighbours, but Jesus showed a special concern for the poor. From Genesis through Revelation, God shows that his heart is for the poor and marginalized, and he calls his people to do likewise.
So how do we cultivate love? I think reading the gospel of Luke is a good place to start for an example. But then we need to live out the principles we learn in our day-to-day life.