Love is

We have made it to Friday.  On a normal week this is the day I try to "take off" though, to be honest I'm pretty terrible at it.  Today I find myself actually sitting at home with two attack-cats that aren't sure why I'm here.  It has been a wild week, wouldn't you say?  For many of you it has meant spending more time with your people at home.  I hope the walls are not closing in on those of you who are not only parenting, but also teaching your children.  I hope those of you that live alone, like me, are not feeling alone in this.  I have heard from many of you who are playing games, taking walks, and truly enjoying a bit of a sabbath from the responsibilities of our normal lives.  

It is tempting as we are told more information about this virus to kind of look at other people as dangerous, or to be afraid that somebody might get too close, or that we will touch something someplace that will harm us.  If we let this get into our heads it can almost make us feel paranoid.  While we must follow the guidelines and safety measures being put into place, we cannot start to fear one another.  We really need each other right now.

In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul talks about love.  This Scripture is often read at weddings, when thinking about the romantic love embodied by two people as they say yes to a lifelong covenant with one another.  But Paul wasn't writing about this type of romantic love.  He was writing to a young Christian community that was starting to face division as they began to live out their newfound faith in Christ. They were trying to do it right - meaning to follow any of the "rules" they felt were necessary and to make sure everyone else was following suit.  Wouldn't you know, that it didn't take long for them to begin having some tension in what that meant, disagreements about what was most important and how to define their community. 

This love that Paul speaks of is one that leads to unity and care of community.  If you want to read the whole passage in your Bibles it is 1 Corinthians 13, the verses below come from The Message translation:

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

I chose The Message today because it made me really think this morning.  When we are living in closer quarters than normal, when we are dealing with high levels of anxiety and fear, when we do not have as much control over ourselves and our environment as we normally do, it is tempting to lose our ability to love like this.  This kind of love can be expressed outwardly, but can also focus right in on ourselves - have you been loving yourself well?  If we don't start there, it is hard for us to express it to others. 

Maybe today as you look this over you can give yourself a bit of a check in.  How well are you loving?  How well are you being loved?  

Prayer:  Loving God the struggle to love can be very real sometimes.  Calm our fears this day and help us to recognize the gift of the people in our lives. Your love is sustaining, help us to breathe it in fully that we might share it with others.  Amen.

Have a good weekend everyone - hope to see you online on Sunday morning for worship!

Pastor Devon