All About Love
1 John 4:19-21 – Part 2
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
Our recent lectionary readings have come from 1 John and from the gospel of John. These texts have focused on “love,” and recently, Pastor Larry Donner – our guest preacher for Consecration Sunday – preached a sermon entitled, “It’s All About Love.”
This has made me think of a time when our youngest daughter demanded an answer from me. She had asked the question, “Who do you love more? Sarah or me?” Of course, I answered, “I love you both very much.” The conversation continued:
“Yes, but who do you love more?”
“Honey, there is no ‘more or less’ when it comes to love. I love you both.”
“I know, but who do you love more?”
“Look,” I said, “Love never runs out. I can give all of my love to Sarah, AND I can give all of my love to you, but because we are talking about “Love,” it never runs out. The more love that I give, the more love I have to give. God keeps filling me up with love so that I have more love to give away. You get all of my love, and Sarah gets all of my love. I love you both very much – I love you with all my love.”
Eventually, my answers must have been satisfactory because that conversation ended, but it isn’t always easy to grasp. In a fundamental sense, if we give something away, it normally means that we have less of it – whatever “it” is. Not so with love. The more we give it away, the more we receive in order to keep giving it away. It has something to do with God’s math --- when we “add,” God multiplies. It’s amazing, isn’t it? Keep sharing the love that God has first given you --- because there’s always more where that came from. Thanks be to God!
May in Mental Illness Awareness month, a topic dear to the heart of ACLC. We are receiving a series of prayers that focus on aspects of Mental Health provided us by the good folk of Oesterlin Services.
Prayer: Wisdom: In many places the mental health system is complicated and hard for family members to navigate and access. Today we pray that family members, friends and allies recieve wisdom to look for help and find it when it is needed. Amen.