Tuesday, April 28, 2009

God is Love

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 -- Week of 3 Easter, Year One

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 960)
Psalms 26, 28 (morning) 36, 39 (evening)
Daniel 4:28-37
1 John 4:7-21
Luke 4:31-37

"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ...God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them." 1 John 7-8, 16b

God is love. Simple but encompassing. Wherever love happens, that is the active presence of God in the world. Whenever anyone acts in love, that one is acting in communion with God. This is an embracing vision that can transcend the divisions or religion and tribe. Whoever loves is revealing the presence of God (the activity of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity) and living in the Spirit of God (the Third Person of the Holy Trinity). Muslims, Hindus, pagans and atheists all love. As they live in love, they live in God the Holy Trinity. As anyone lives in love, we live in God.

We say that Jesus reveals God as love. Jesus lived a life motivated entirely love. He performed the same saving, loving miracles and offered the same compassion to the Gentiles as he did to the members of his own religion and nation. When attacked and crucified, he offered only love and forgiveness in return. "God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him."

"No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit." The Spirit of God motivates and energizes our living and abiding in love.

It all starts with God's love for us. God is love. God reveals God's love for us by sending God's Son Jesus, who loves us to the end. God lives in us through God's spirit, which abides in us in love. It's all about love.

God's love is infinite, eternal and unqualified. God's love is perfect. God is perfect love. Perfect love, and only perfect love, casts out fear. When we know ourselves to be perfectly and completely loved by a perfect and infinite love, we can live fearlessly. This is the essence of our relationship with God. God loves us, therefore we are safe. Be not afraid. Be free! Free to love, even as God loves us.

The only commandment we have is to love. Jesus summarized the law in love: Love the Lord your God (who is love) with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. The new commandment is "Love one another." John's epistle says, "The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also."

It's all pretty simple. It's all about love. When faced with the question, "What should I do?" the answer is always, "Love." What does love draw us toward in the present moment? What does love look like in the present circumstances? Do that. All else is secondary.

What if acting in love would violate some important rule, tradition or commandment? Love always triumphs.

We see that in today's story from Luke. Jesus speaks in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and he astounds the listeners. A man with "the spirit of an unclean demon" cries out in challenge. Jesus exorcises him, cleansing him of his oppressive spirit. To some, he has violated one of the Ten Commandments, "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." Jesus' conflicts with the religious authorities have begun. Between love and law, Jesus chooses love.

Between love and power, Jesus chooses love. Between love and nation, Jesus chooses love. Between love and money, Jesus chooses love. Between love and family, Jesus chooses love. Between love and religion, Jesus chooses love. Between love and Bible, Jesus chooses love. Between love and reputation, Jesus chooses love. Between love and safety, Jesus chooses love. Between love and life, Jesus chooses love. Between love and fear, Jesus chooses love, and perfect love casts out fear.

To live in love is to live with complete and fearless freedom. To trust love and love's power is to trust God. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Love will triumph and prevail. Therefore we can relax and just be, in love. To be in love is to be in God.

Lowell
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Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: Morning Reflection Podcasts

About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.


Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html


The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas

4 Comments:

At 8:20 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Simple yet so very powerful! The sense of completeness one feels when "loving" is pure communion with god. Truly no fear…Thanks Lowell, Sean T.

 
At 7:42 AM, Blogger Lowell said...

Thanks Sean.

"Perfect love casts out fear" is one of my favorite verses. It also makes me think about the nature of love. I think only God's love is perfect love. A mother's love, a spouse's love, a friend's love can be powerful and good. But I think only God can love us perfectly. Our deepest security -- our fearlessness -- is best rooted in the perfect love of God.

Lowell

 
At 2:37 PM, Blogger HumbleHumanity said...

The crucified Savior also showed us God's wraith. He actually turned away from his only begotten.

 
At 8:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.thegospeloflove.com

 

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