Make Love Great Again

The first Sunday I officially “took over the keys” to a church I served in Michigan, the outgoing minister and I agreed to share the service together.

Since he was saying goodbye to a 17-year run, I thought he should give the message that day. For his last sermon, he encouraged the congregation to be welcoming and kind to their new minister and his family. 

Then he advised them to be patient with me, because, as he put it, “He only really has a couple of things worth saying. So, he’s probably going to repeat himself a lot.”

This struck me as odd because at that time, fresh out of seminary, I had plenty to say. And as an ex-copywriter, I prided myself on always bringing a fresh, new perspective on scripture. ​

Looking back now, I realized how right he was. He wasn’t trying to set me up for failure. He was simply reminding me to keep the gospel message simple so everyone could understand. Other than talking about God and Jesus, every message really does boil down to just a few things: love, grace, forgiveness, and service.

There have been weeks when I’ve had trouble finding new ways to speak about these things. Yet, the more time I spend in Anamesa, the more I realize there’s no point in talking the talk, if I’m not going to walk the walk. I have to embody God’s love and live it out in every aspect of my life.

As difficult as that can be, I have to live it out in every space, every day, over and over and over again. So, I might sound repetitive… because that’s the point.
 
The more we live out our faith, the more natural it becomes to be faithful to God’s loving grace and forgiveness. And to become a servant of Christ, who inspired John to write this letter to a young and struggling church.

It’s a beautiful masterpiece on God’s love. A simple blueprint on how to let God’s love manifest through us. Today, John offers us this:

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God, and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them.                                                  - 1 John 3:16-24a -

Again, this letter is credited to John the Apostle, who was a fisherman by trade. Given his profession and the area from which he came, John probably wasn’t very educated. Yet, he possessed a deep understanding of Jesus’ teaching, which helped him produce an even deeper theology for us to unpack.  
 
While John writes of grace, forgiveness, and service - his entire message is grounded in one thing: God’s redemptive love made manifest in the world through Jesus Christ.

For John, redemptive love is the highest form of love out there because it has the power to both redeem us and transform us. Being close to Jesus, John saw how love can help people. It can heal us, lift us up, and liberate us when nothing else will. Which is exactly why I make love the centerpiece of every message, even if it means repeating myself over and over again.
 
But we can’t just talk about love inside church; we got to go out in the world and live it as if it’s the most amazing thing ever created. If the words of our heart don’t match the actions of our hands, then what good is that love?
 
In our reading today, John reminds us of three things. First, God’s love isn’t an emotional feeling but an action. It’s the kind of action that sets everything else into motion.
 
We know God loves us by the things God does for us. As John states, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” God’s love is sacrificial. It’s an action that proves just how far God is willing to go for us.
 
Second, the love that God has given us through Christ Jesus ought to be the same love we offer - in the many ways “we lay down our lives for one another.” 
 
Does this mean taking a bullet for someone? Yes, love could mean that. But it doesn’t have to be so dangerous or heroic either. Some of the best ways we can show love is through ordinary, everyday acts of kindness.
 
The effort you give to prepare a meal for someone. The way you share the road with strangers on your way to work. Or how you handle a struggling student, or a temperamental employee.

​Like Jesus taught us with his own life, when we put others first, or make time for them, we lay down our lives.
 
Third, this can’t be done with word or speech. But with truth and action. John said, “when you see a brother or sister in need, have pity and help them.” It’s truly that simple. So why do we struggle to embrace it?

 
This is a great challenge for both the church and her congregation. When we close our hearts to others, we close our hearts to God. Denying a person’s plea for mercy or grace is the same as denying Christ himself. When we shut people out, or toss them aside, or ignore them altogether we are doing the same to God who dwells in all of us.
 
To say we love God is admirable and commendable, but it doesn’t mean jack if we don’t show the same to one another.
 
How can we claim to love God if we can’t even “like” the people who look or vote differently than us? To believe in Christ means to believe Christ saves us by making us like Himself. If we are going to claim Christ’s name, then our heart must be the same as his in all the ways we love God, love others, and serve both.
 
And so it is, in his name, we must make love great again. This isn’t a suggestion. It’s an emphatic charge for all of us. “Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness before God.”
 
Jesus said it like this when he spoke directly on divine judgement. “What you do to the least of these, you also do to me.” This has nothing to do about having the right belief or doctrine. It’s not even about having faith in him per se, but how we live out our faith like he did - sharing our heart and resources with those in need.
 
We aren’t judged by the size of our church or the number of souls we win over for God. But Jesus made it abundantly clear that we’ll be judged on how many lives we feed and clothe and care for. John inspires the church to practice real love the way Christ Jesus showed us. This is the only way we will know we’re living truly in God’s reality.
 
As we traverse the sacred space between heart and hands, we are called to act – especially towards the poor and marginalized. We must elevate poverty, stand up against the injustices, and walk humbly so all people can thrive in God’s Kingdom.
 
The words of our heart must build bridges, not walls; embrace peace, not war; offer forgiveness and hospitality, hope and care to all people, especially the least of these our brothers and sisters.

As children of God, we possess all the power of Christ to make love great again. So what’s stopping us?
 
That old minister was right, there are only a few things we can talk about. But there are endless ways to be the heart and hands of Christ, offering God’s love to those in need.

This will take great patience towards ourselves and others. And be very repetitive in our actions and loving gestures. But remember, it’s in practicing God’s love with one another that Christ comes alive in our communities, bringing healing and transformation to whatever space we’re in.
 
So, my challenge to you this week is simply this: go make love great again. Whether it is with a spouse or partner, your child or co-worker, a neighbor or stranger, a friend or foe go and make God’s love manifest through you in the greatest ways you are able.

Go and be so bold and generous with your heart, that you can’t help but feel the power of Christ pulsate through your hands.
 
The more you do it, the easier it is to offer grace to those who need it, forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it, mercy to those who ask for it, and patience to those who lack it.

More importantly, with God’s love leading the way you can serve one another as if you’re serving Christ himself.
 
Just as we know God loves us by the things God does for us, may others come to know their place in God’s heart by the way we share our heart with them.
 
 
 


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Work Cited:
Adapted from The Luck of Us All. March 17, 2019 (accessed on 04/19/2024).
Bartlett, David L., Barbara Brown Taylor. Feasting on the Word, Year B, Vol. 2. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2008.