Advent Week 4: Love

Advent Week 4: Love

Love. I could have chosen adoration for this week, but I wanted to keep our focus away from the what has become the traditional celebration all through Advent. Advent isn't a time to celebrate, but is a time to wait and anticipate. Our church culture in the US has been infected by "triumphalism", the hyper-focus on the great achievements in Christian history, to the exclusion of the "less successful" stories of the Bible. We want to hear about David beating Goliath, but not the long-lasting effects of his adultery with Bathsheba. We want to hear about Peter getting sprung from prison by an angel, but not Stephen getting stoned to death. So while adoration is good and a necessary thing in our Christian faith, it seemed too chipper for Advent. Now you may be asking, "How does love fit in the theme of Advent any better than adoration?"

Love is more than just a feeling or an emotion. Love is a choice. It involves sacrifice on our part for the sake of someone else. When I love someone, I put their needs above my wants. When I love someone, I invest in them, encourage them, and sacrifice my preferences for their needs. This love is why I wear a mask during the pandemic. This love is why I utilize video calls instead of in-person visits. It is not easy or convenient, but this is the kind of love that highlights Advent. As we are hopeful, as we are waiting, as we are seeking peace, we love. An alternative Scripture for this week could have very well been Philippians 2, but we will look at last week's Scripture with a new lens.

Scripture: Romans 12:9-21

Love appears twice in this text, so we will focus on verses 9 and 10 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love." 

What does it mean to be sincere? To be sincere means to be without deceit, without hypocrisy, or falseness. It means to be earnest, genuine, pure, and real. We must sincerely love each other. To say that we love all people, while shrinking from those who are smelly, dirty, ugly, poor, or otherwise less than ideal, profanes the meaning of love. To say that we love people, while attaching strings and conditions to our affection, drags the name of love through the mud.

Love chooses to act in the best interest of someone else. Our culture says that love is giving someone what they want, but love often calls us to take the harder path of giving someone something that they need, even if they might want something else. For example, a child might want chocolate cake every night for dinner, but it is more loving to make sure they have a well-balanced and healthy meal. 

Paul calls on us to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. We have shown ourselves proficient at hating the evil that our enemies do, but we are less skilled at seeing the evil perpetuated by our own groups. We do genuinely cling to some good in our world, but we need to work at identifying it in those who are different than us and believe differently than we do. 

We are tasked with being devoted to one another in love. To be devoted to someone means to be zealously/ardently (or passionately or actively or intensely) attached or loyal. When we are devoted to someone, we think about them. We want what's best for them. We are willing to work and put in the effort to treat them well. This doesn't just apply to those we like, but anyone who comes through the doors of our church. 

It's easy to love those who are loving towards us or those who are acting in the way we want them to act, but love reaches out to those who are hateful towards us or those who don't do what we tell them to do. 

For those who are curious, common Bible passages on love such as 1 Corinthians 13 or 1 John 3:16-18, paint love as a choice we make, as a purposeful decision to act in a certain way. Society weakens love when it depicts love as a warm, fuzzy feeling that makes us feel good. Paul fills 1 Corinthians 13 with adjectives and actions that show what love is. Love is patient and kind. It isn't boastful or proud. These are behaviors, actions, choices that we make. John calls us to love like Jesus did (and Jesus laid down his life for us). He questions if we have stuff and see people in need and don't feel pity (don't DO something for them), is God's love really in us? He challenges us to love with our actions instead of with our words.

Song: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

This is a song of anticipation and longing. It is sung about a people who are not free, but who are longing to be free. It asks for people to be set from from their fears and sins. It calls for rest. It acknowledges Jesus is both strength and consolation (comfort), in addition to being the Hope of all the earth and Desire of nations, and Joy to longing hearts. It highlights how Jesus was born as a child, yet was already a king. He was born to deliver His people. He was born to reign in our hearts and bring His kingdom. The song calls for Jesus alone to rule in our hearts. Jesus is all-sufficient and it is by His merit that we are saved. 

Are you longing for Jesus to return? Not just because it will be better for you, but because it will mean justice, peace, and hope fulfilled for those who are suffering, oppressed, and hurting now? Are you taking the Good News out to a lost world and sharing it far and wide in hopes of bringing those who don't know Jesus into a relationship with Him? 

Questions to Consider: 

-How can I better love those I encounter in my daily life?

-How can I better love those around the world?

-In what way is my love selfless, mature, and a conscious choice?

-In what way is my love selfish, demanding, and a fickle emotion?

-How well am I loving those who love me back? (Family, friends, church members)

-How well am I loving those who are deemed less desirable by our society? (Homeless, poor, foreigners) 

There are many questions that can be teased from the two verses of this week's song.

-What fears do you need set free from?

-What sins do you struggle with?

-How do you rest and allow others to rest?

-Do you depend on Jesus' strength or on your country's or military's strength to protect you?

-Who or what do you turn to for comfort when you are hurting?

-Do you hope for Jesus to come back? Why do you hope for this? Do you want to see people "getting what they deserve" or people accepting God's grace & mercy?

-Do you desire to spend time with Jesus?

-Do you experience joy when you spend time with Him? 

-What does your heart long for? 

-Do you acknowledge Jesus as a king? Does He reign in your heart?

-Do you give Him credit for delivering you? 

-What, besides Jesus, are you depending on? Do you act like Jesus is all you need?

-Do you give Jesus credit for saving you? Did you repent of your sins?

Challenge: 

Brainstorm ways to love those ignored by society. What can you do to show a tangible love to the homeless or the poor? How can you show love to a foreigner in your town? How do you show your love to God? Do you obey Him? Serve Him? Follow His commands? What did you get Jesus for His birthday? What charity or organization would be benefited by receiving a gift in honor of Jesus?

The Angel visits the shepherds