I sat with a group of people that I respect highly. All of them committed followers of Jesus.
Among other things we were sharing stories of our walk with Jesus. Someone said something that startled me. She said that in all the years she had been in church, and for as long as she could remember, she didn’t know the meaning through experience of real love.
That was not to say she had not been loved. She had her children and husband. She had her church and all that. Yet in the routine of life and its demands, in the run of the mill and the ongoing meander through the mediocre and mundane, in all of that the love that she heard about, whether in songs, or in stories or in scriptures was never a part of her life.
This story ends on a positive note. The session was not just about sitting down and talking, it was also about exploring and experiencing this love of God that we read about. I’m delighted to say that this precious sister who has so much going for and evidently such a capacity to love not only experienced real love, but also arguably got the chance to testify of the experience and look for other opportunities to have more of these experiences.
(Your question following this should be, “Well what happened, then, Christopher? What did you do beyond sitting down and talking?” And the answer to that question is waiting for you just as soon as you pop over to visit me!)
The sad thing remains, however, that the sister’s experience is not unique.
This is not an issue of church form, denomination, doctrine or leadership. It is a matter of certain routines and a relationship deficit that means what we’re really here to show to the world is never demonstrated among ourselves, let alone to a world looking on.
If we take Paul’s insight in 1 Corinthians 13 seriously, we can gather together, sing awesome songs, hear awesome sermons, drink awesome coffee (if you must), get awesome teaching, have awesome children’s sessions but without love it means absolutely diddley-squat. (To the person who came up with the phrase ‘diddley-squat’ whatever state of existence you find yourself in, I for one salute you and thank you for this contribution to the English language.)
When we consider the practice of love as seen in 1 Corinthians 13 and in the example of Jesus, little of it has to do with awesome sermons, awesome teaching and awesome coffee. (Indeed probably ESPECIALLY awesome coffee, but I don’t want to offend you if you drink coffee … on this occasion.) This practice had something to do with good talk, but a lot more to do with good things done to back up the good words said.
In a world that is still looking for real love having become tired, tainted and twisted with the counterfeit types that are prevalent, the church as a Body of people, as an engaging system of forgiving and ever restorative relationships and as the expression of the holy love of the holy God still has a great chance to shine that love for others to see.
Doing that evidently means taking the time to actually check our people, check our relationships, see it in the light of the Spirit of God and His Word and where needed take action. You can have the awesome coffee after that.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 