Mark spoke from John 15:12-17 tonight, looking at our love for one another and our love for God. It can be very easy to say the words ‘I love you’, but Jesus makes it plain that love is determined by actions more than words. Love is much more than words, more than hugs and kisses. He asked us to think of various definitions of love (‘love is…’) and, depending on people’s perspectives, the answers were very varied!
- Love is… being there no matter what.
- Love is having Karen Burgin cook everyone a Sunday dinner!
- Love is cleaning the pigeons out!
- Love is hairplay
- Love is making the bed in the morning
- Love is sacrifice
Love is ultimately loving the other person more than yourself, being prepared to die for the one you love. This is precisely what Jesus did for us; God loves us so much that He sent His Son to ‘take a bullet’ for us. The advent of Jesus means that we can be reconciled to God, for God hates all that is unlovely (sin) but loves us nonetheless. Love came down from heaven to earth at Christmas; love made a way through the sacrifice of Jesus for us to become friends with God. Our whole lives are built on God’s arrival in human form and on the reconciliation that Jesus’ death brings us.
