Love.
If you’ve had the chance to read these devotionals for any amount of time, or if you’ve had an opportunity to hear me preach for any amount of time, you know that this subject is one that I have addressed in the past. We’ve talked about it. We’ve discussed it. We’ve talked about different types of love, different aspects of love. We’ve looked at some of the ways we throw around the word “love” and how it can mean a variety of things in a variety of contexts. Hopefully, we know that to “love” chocolate is different than loving others or loving God. Love. It’s been discussed. It has been covered. What else could we possibly say about love? Why should we be having a conversation about love yet again?
Well, for one, I promised a devotional on each of the candles of Advent. We’re onto our last week. Week #4. The candle? Love. So, there’s that. More importantly, I do not believe that we could ever adequately or thoroughly cover all of the aspects of the love of God. No matter how many times we take a swing at discussing God’s love, we will come up short. After all, Paul says this: “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.” (Ephesians 3:18) There is always more room for conversations, deeper understanding, fuller appreciation, richer experience. There is always room for a broader grasp of the love of God. Plus, even if it were theoretically possible to have heard everything there is to hear about love, who says that repeating is bad? Sometimes, repeating is good. Sometimes, it is beneficial to hear the same thing again and again and again and again. God is love. That is something worth repeating often. Daily. As part of our routine. There are things worth repeating. Conversations about the love of God are some of those things.
So, there you have it. We’re covering love once more. Let’s get at it.
First, let’s look at one of the things that Jesus says about love to his disciples.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
~ John 15:12
I have to be honest. My first response to this command is disbelief…even though Jesus was talking to a group of friends.
“Wait! What did you just say? Surely, you’re joking! You’re joking. Right, Jesus? This is one of your jokes, isn’t it?”
“Love these people like you have loved me? Even my friend, that bozo, over there? Him too?”
“Surely, Jesus, you must have misspoke, or it is a joke. You can’t possibly mean to say that we are to love each other as you have loved us.”
But no. No, it was not a joke. That was his directive. That is his command. Love each other as he has loved us. To be honest, that’s a tall task to say the least. I get kind of squirmy just thinking about it, even if I’m thinking about those closest to me, my family, my friends.
Maybe this isn’t the case for you, but when I picture how Jesus loved the disciples, his patience with them, his willingness to meet them where they were in their faith walk and to move them forward, his humility in love and service, his feeding them and caring for them, his washing of their feet… When I realize that this picture doesn’t even fully cover the love of Christ for his disciples… Then, when I picture how Jesus has loved me…his forgiveness, his mercy, his grace, his patience…
“That’s a tough ask, Jesus! You mean I have to love in the same way?”
“Yes, Chris. Yes you do. Love each other as I have loved you.”
Then, as if that were not enough, Jesus continues,
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
~ John 15:13
You want to know love, true love? How about this: There is no greater love than laying down one’s life for one’s friends.
Love as Jesus loved. Lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
It’s hard to get there. If we’re honest, it was hard enough to get there before Jesus added the whole laying down of one’s life bit. Now, it is even tougher (at least it’s tougher for me). It’s hard to lay down my life. It’s hard to sacrifice. It’s hard to put others before me, even if they are my friends or family. To borrow a classic war movie type example, I hope that in the midst of a battle that I would have the courage to jump on the grenade that went right into the middle of our group. I hope that if I were standing there with my friends, my family, that I would lay down my life and save others. But if I’m honest? I’m not so sure. I fear I would run or freeze or hide or panic or secretly hope that someone else might take the sacrifice to save the rest of us. Could I do it in the moment? Could I lay down my life? I pray that I could, but I fear that I wouldn’t.
And all of that is in the context of loving our friends! Jesus was talking to the disciples and addressing them with how they should treat each other. It’s an example for how we should do the same, but if we know Jesus, if we know the love of Christ, we know that Jesus didn’t just stop there. Jesus didn’t just stop with loving friends, with loving them as he loves us, with laying our lives down for those we care about. Instead, Jesus does more.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
~ Romans 5:6-8
Sinners are not “friends” with God by nature. Sinners have gone their own path, have sought their own way, have rebelled against God and God’s plan, have chosen “self” over God. Sinners are not friends. And yet, God makes them so.
Jesus demonstrates true love, complete love, holy, uninhibited love by offering the greatest sacrifice, by laying down his life for others…even while they were still sinners.
Even while we were still sinners.
Even while we were not yet “saved” by the love of Christ.
Even while we had not yet gotten it right.
Even while we were lost and hopeless and shipwrecked and actively disobeying our Creator.
Even while we were enemies of God.
Even while we were still sinners, Jesus demonstrated his love for us by laying down his life.
That is the love that we celebrate this Advent, this Christmas.
We celebrate the sacrificial, others-focused, incomprehensible, amazing love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Yes, we celebrate the love of God demonstrated to us by sending his Son, Jesus, to be born in the flesh, to take on humanity. But, we also need to realize that the little baby Jesus, born in a manger, would live his life and lay it down. We need to behold, to recognize, to celebrate the love of Christ that is beyond words. One who was perfect, who was not flawed in any way, laying down his life for those who were his enemies that they might be labeled his friends.
And the call to us? The ask of us?
We are to do the same.
Though it is hard enough to think of others first when they are our friends, to lay down our lives for those we care about, the love of Jesus calls us to something even more, to lay down our lives to think of others who are not yet in that category.
I’ll be frank. I’m not always there. I’m not always willing. I’m not always able. I’m not always loving.
Fortunately, God is still patient with me. God still loves me. Jesus still guides me, forgives me, and points me forward.
My prayer, friend, is that we would all be more like Jesus. That we would know his love, that we would accept his love, and that we would be used to be agents of his love in this world. That we would love others as Jesus has loved us and that we would be willing to lay down our lives so that others might live.
Love.
Such a wonderful gift. Such an immense challenge.
May God fill our hearts with the love of Jesus and may it radiate through us this season.
~ Pastor Chris
