2017-12-10 Love: An Advent Message


 

Love: An Advent Message

December 10, 2017

The Complexity of Love

This second Sunday of Advent, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth, we focus on love. Love is such an odd word. We use it in such a casual and indiscriminate way. We say, "I love my husband," and in the next breath, "I love pizza." We love Christmas, we love a movie, we love the color blue, and we love our pet cat.

The meaning of the word is not at all the same across these different things. In no way do I feel the same about pizza as I feel for Ron, yet I use the same word. We say, "God is love," but what exactly do we mean by this?

In the church, we often discuss the Greek words for love: eros (physical love), phileo (brotherly love), and agape (sacrificial, God-like love). But it is also fascinating to look at the Hebrew roots of the word:

  • Ahab: A spontaneous or impulsive love. It can be used toward family, friends, or God.

  • Hesed (or Chesed): Often translated as "loving-kindness," it describes God’s loyal, covenantal love for His people.

  • Rachem: Translated as "compassion" or "brotherly love." Interestingly, its root means a mother’s womb, implying protection and nurturing.

When we describe God as love, all these meanings—Hebrew and Greek—apply to His character. This Godly love is all-encompassing. It covers our relationships with God, family, fellow believers, and strangers alike.

The Image of God

When I had my son and my daughter, my feelings toward them were both immediate and intense. Biology gives parents strong protective instincts, but that alone cannot explain the depth of parental love. God’s love explains it.

In Genesis, God says we are made in His image. His thoughts, creativity, and character were shared with us. Just as my children resemble both Ron and me, each of us resembles Father God. Inside each of us is a tiny spark of the love of God. The more we nurture and feed this love, the more like Jesus we become.

In the same way that I cannot cease to love my children, God, as our Creator, cannot stop loving us. Like human parents, He can be disappointed or hurt by His children, but He never stops loving them.

Love as a Choice

It might seem like I am talking only about an emotion, but I firmly believe that love is a choice—an action that can be separate from mere feelings.

When I married Ron, I certainly had feelings for him. I still do, but they aren’t always the same. Let’s be honest: do any of you ever get angry with a spouse or family member? Aren’t there times you’d like to give a loved one a swift "boot in the behind"? We all feel irritated sometimes, but that doesn't mean we stop loving them.

One of the saddest things about modern marriage is how often couples "fall" out of love. They sign prenuptial agreements, planning for divorce before the vows are even taken. When I married Ron, I promised before God to love him my entire life. Have there been times I felt like strangling him? Yes! But I have never stopped loving him, because I choose to love him and I intend to keep my promise.

Sacrificial Love

Love is selfless, putting others' well-being ahead of our own desires. My mom and dad taught me sacrificial love through their actions. We did not have much money, but they gave up a lot so I could have music lessons. When I needed a floor-length gown for a concert, my mother—an excellent seamstress—made me one. When I needed a better flute, somehow I got it.

Looking back, I see what they sacrificed. My dad wore his shoes until he had to glue the soles back on. My mother’s entire wardrobe consisted of just four dresses—two old ones for home and two for church. When I suggested she buy a new one, she said her old ones still had wear in them, but the truth was she wanted the money for us children.

God, our Father, loves us exactly like that. But His love alone did not save us; His action did. He sent His Son to be born in a stable, to live with us, and to die on a cross. That "action love" was costly, but it was necessary.

Acting Into Love

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote:

"Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him."

There is a story about a woman who told her minister she hated her husband and wanted a divorce. She wanted to hurt him, too. The pastor suggested: "Go home and pretend to care for him for two months. Be kind, listen to him, and prepare his favorite foods. Then, when he is convinced you love him, ask for the divorce; it will surprise and hurt him more."

The woman loved the plan. A few months later, the pastor called to ask how the divorce was going. She said, "I’ve changed my mind. Over the last few months, I realized that I really do love him." Her choice to act in love became a reality.

A Beacon of Light

The Bible commands us to act in love:

  • Matthew 22:37: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind."

  • John 13:34-35: "I give you a new command: Love one another... By this everyone will know you are my disciples."

  • 1 John 4:20: "The person who does not love his brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."

When the Bible says "they will know us by our love," it is the greatest testament to God. As we love fellow believers, it spills out into the world and becomes a beacon of light.

There is a story about a young man who walked a very long distance to attend a specific church. When asked why he came so far, he simply said, "They really know how to love a fella."

Wouldn’t that be a marvelous description of us? Always choose the loving path. Love is from God, Love is God, and Love is God’s Son. Our love for each other will unite God’s family until the whole world is embraced by it. That just might be Heaven on earth.

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