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Love-o-MeterNovember 11, 2008John 15:9-11 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. My New Testament professor in seminary, an accomplished biblical scholar, shared his frustration in class one day. He baulked at the temptation for Christians to boil God down to one word "love." For someone who had spent years reading and writing scholarly research on the bible to say that "God is love" was too fluffy a notion for such a serious matter. For him, God was complex, a mystery not yet fully known. How could people slap such a simple label on the mysterious and almighty God of creation? I must confess if someone asked me to describe God in one word, much to my professor’s demise, love would be the word I would chose. Although I know God has many other attributes, I believe that love pierces the heart of the matter. In the scripture today, Jesus talks to his followers about the importance of love. He tells them that the love that Jesus has shown them comes from God alone. If they want to continue to be his followers then they must carry on by abiding in love. Love must the driving force behind their ministry; otherwise, it will not succeed. Jesus stresses that it is not enough to simply love him and God, but that his followers must also love one another. Jesus’ message is plain and simple to understand. He does not speak in riddles, but lays out his expectations to those early disciples. If Jesus spoke to you today like he did with his disciples long ago, what would he say about your life? If he looked at your "love-o-meter" what would it read: Abides in love? Needs improvement? Failing miserably? If love were easy wouldn’t we all pass with flying colors? My New Testament professor was frustrated by the simplistic definition that God is love. I find myself frustrated by the definition as well although for very different reasons. To live a life of love requires patience, determination, forgiveness, and many other things that don’t always come naturally to me. Love frustrates me because although I strive to be a perfectionist in most things, when it comes to my love-o-meter I usually find myself in the needs improvement or failing miserably category. Love is not a simple, fluffy notion at all. Love requires practice and discipline to truly succeed. Unfortunately, love doesn’t come with a full set of instructions to guide us in every situation we find ourselves in. Many times we have to find our way in love. When we do, even if it’s for a moment, we get a foretaste of the joy Jesus seeks to make complete. Prayer: Loving God, Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Give me the courage and the patience to love others as you have loved me. Amen. For more informationRev. Leigh Martin |
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