Love God Love One Another

Is love just a mushy emotion? No. Love, at its best, is real motion…love is a verb. While random acts of kindness are helpful, it is rampant acts of kindness that reveal God inside us. We were made to love; we were made in the image of God. Growing in our likeness of Jesus, we would do well to pay close attention to people in our sphere and then meet their needs. Let’s, for the next 40 days, accept the challenge to do acts of love that align ourselves to God’s perspective. These might include prayer, forgiveness, empathy, kindness, humility, mercy, sacrifice, respect, or inclusiveness.

Christ never calls us to crusade against evil. He never calls us to arms to rally and go and do something about evil. He only calls us to shine a light—to be about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And if we were the kind of followers of Jesus who are about that every single day using as much energy and as much breath as God can give us can you image what this world could be like? Imagine how much light we could spread through the gospel of Jesus.

At Christmas we hear an amazing story that God became one of us! Because of this, God knows our human feelings of fear, failure, elation, and joy…God is one with us. Oh, how we long to embrace such good news. As you open your heart this Christmas, God says "Hope was born this night for you. I love you. You are mine."

In many current Christmas movies, there is an element of deep transformation: George Bailey finds hope, Scrooge becomes generous, Charley Brown finds peace, the Grinch’s heart grows three sizes larger. There are many Christmas movies, but there is one Christmas story. The message of the season is LOVE; and we are part of this story, we are in this Christmas pageant. What lines will we speak and what actions will we take this year to help make this Christmas season transformational for ourselves and for others?

“Peace on earth and good will to all” seems like a fantasy expectation. Current life circumstance may make it feel that Christmas joy is far off. How can we get back to the childhood wonder that is pure and exuberant joy? Lasting joy is not rooted IN Christmas tradition; rather, it is THROUGH a Christmas experience that joy can be fully discovered. What will our souls magnify this Advent season—our present perils or our abundant blessings?

We are clay and the Lord is our potter…all of are the works of God’s hand—shaped and loved by God. Like bread dough Christmas ornaments and pottery, we know that we get broken in all sorts of ways. Advent is about moving us from brokenness to wholeness to live out our potential for God’s loving purpose.

You worry about “the ten thousand things,” so few are necessary. Indeed, only one. Are we thankful for God’s ever presence? Or do we get caught up in our busyness? God is asking these four questions each day of you and me (applies to God and to the other people in our lives)…Do you see me? Do you care that I’m here? Am I enough for you? Can I tell that I’m special to you by the way that you look at me? Take time to be present in every moment.

As we empty ourselves to God, the Holy Spirit grows our awareness to live extravagantly. Have you noticed, there is a miracle that occurs when we become the hands of Christ? We are most alive when doing something to lift the burdens of another person. Living in abundance is not about circumstances; it is rooted on the promises of God…on the overflowing grace of God to each of us. What we choose to focus on is a matter of love and thanksgiving.

Because of God’s love we live perpetually in a place of grace. This comes from the connection we have as a "branch joined to the living vine." This unmerited favor we receive is irrespective of our actions and our circumstances. Jesus meets us at every twist and turn. God lifts our soul!

Jesus summarized how to live…simply: love God, love one another. Easy to hear—hard to do. Loving God is first about accepting grace (acknowledging we are broken people and have received unmerited favor). Hospitality, then, is how we turn that grace from God outward. Serving exemplifies grace received and demonstrates our gratitude in practical ways. Now is the time to be a helper.

Grace alone is grace at the start, grace at the end, grace in the middle, grace without fail, grace without mixture, grace without addition, grace that allows no boasting that somehow we have brought something to the table to make us worthy. Spoken from Genesis to Revelation—from beginning to end—we have that gift of unearned, unmerited love…a heavenly and fatherly embrace when we need it most.

Faith often seems mysterious…until we see it demonstrated in others. History is replete with people who embraced “faith alone” in God in the face of testing circumstances—like Martin Luther and Corrie ten Boom. Through faith they forged ahead to embrace God’s calling. What a gift God offers to have faith! Faith is synonymous with surrender: to say “I believe, I trust, and I will step into your provision and plan for me, God.”

The ultimate revelation of God is Jesus…and Jesus is revealed in the Bible. What Jesus says is what God says. When we read what Jesus says, does, and feels, we understand what God wants for us, too. For all matters of faith and practice the Bible provides instruction. Wherever we are today in our familiarity with God’s Word, we have room to grow. Across the millennia, our human condition, the desires of our heart, and the need for connection to God is unchanging. Strive to find a rhythm and cadence so that God’s goodness—revealed in God’s Word—can become a part of your life.

Does everything we do glorify God? Of the five solas, this one “Glory to God Alone” summarizes the others. It begins as we acknowledge all things are created by God. From the very beginning God is with us, is still present, and cares. The glory of God is not diminished by the world’s needs, issues, and injustices. God is good and his goodness shines through. What would the world look like if it could see the full goodness of God’s people? When our lives reflect the love of Jesus, it brings Glory to God Alone.

Protestant followers of Jesus understand the church to be the body of Christ extended throughout time as the whole company of God's redeemed people. Reflecting on the church's past we acknowledgement that the Lutheran perspective is part of the catholic church (the church universal) which is reconciled by continuous reformation. Together, confessing that “Jesus Christ alone” is the church's one foundation, all who trust in him as Savior and Lord are by God's grace saved and members of the same spiritual family.

Where and how does beauty rise up from the awful? In all things God works for the good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Can we see it? Can we lean into it? Can we embrace it? Yes. As we look through a lens that gets us in the presence of God—regardless of circumstances—we can stand…and we can care for those in need.

In pouring fragrant oil on Jesus, Mary of Bethany gave all she could to honor him. Jesus was right when he said we would be reflecting on her act of worship still in 2017. What does Jesus ask of us?…open our heart to do only what we can do. Being lavish in loving God and loving others requires us to put full faith in God and leave behind many negative voices (including our own) to be a difference maker. You can be a reflective source of hope today!

What are you fighting today? Fear, instability, illness, pain? Are you fighting God? Sometimes the gaps in explanations about life and what happens in it seem to echo into a void. We struggle with our understanding. We shake our fist at God. Even as we wrestle…we wrestle in God’s embrace…an embrace that will never let go. God’s desire is a blessing for us and peace in dwelling in a relationship together. God give us a fight song to carry us.

Every one of us will leave a legacy. The question becomes “what will that legacy be?” The way we face life, relate to others, and deal with our circumstances will shape how we will be remembered…how we have earned the respect of others. What love, care, service, and action will show our heart and faith for God? Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)

It might be a surprise to know that anger is a biblically endorsed emotion. Even in the Bible's "love" chapter, we're directed to be slow to anger. The key is to be angry for the right reasons, to not sin while angry, and not let the sun go down on our anger. These are tall orders and it takes a clear understanding from God's word to appreciate and act on the difference.