By Dr. Steven K. Parker
What is the most loving thing someone has done for you this week?
What is the most loving thing you’ve done for someone else this week?
Why is love so important in life?
How could a heavy dose of God’s love make a difference in our world so defined by hate, violence, and distrust?
Hear: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:16-26)
Pause:
· Review & Reflect—According to Paul, what does a “normal” life lived for the “works of the flesh” look like?
· Why do you think love is the first in this list of spiritual fruit?
Reflection For Everyone: As we begin looking at the fruit of the Spirit and consider what it means to live into a kingdom normal, I want to point out Paul’s use of the singular form of the word “fruit” in this passage. These are not the “fruits of the Spirit” as we so often call them, but rather, they are together the “fruit of the spirit.” These are not like the Spiritual Gifts lists found elsewhere in the writings of Paul, where I may have one or two of the gifts and not the others. The fruit of the Spirit are nine characteristics that will be growing in our lives if we are walking in the Spirit of God. The first characteristic of the spiritual fruit that are the norm of life in the kingdom is love.
The most used word for love in the New Testament was the Greek word agape. The early Christians took this rarely used Greek word and filled it with meaning. Agape love is the kind of love that we show, not because someone deserves it, but because God has shown us love that we didn’t deserve. Agape love is the kind of love that God showed us when He gave His only begotten Son who died for us, while we yet sinners. Agape love is the kind of love that we show when we love others, not because they’ve earned our love, but because we have been loved by God. When we love with this kind of love, God takes those efforts and blesses them mightily in His eternal kingdom.
I can’t help but wonder what kind of difference this kind of love could make in today’s heated climate of racially and politically motivated hate. What kind of a difference would it make if we stopped sharing half truths on social media in an effort to gain likes from people like us and chose to instead take the time to get to know someone who looks and thinks very differently from us? What kind of a difference would it make if we started thinking about people on the other side of today’s debates the way God thinks about them? What kind of a difference would it make if we unplugged from our desire to win arguments and started instead trying to show love and make friends?
As we head toward Sunday and continue to be bombarded by bad news and hurtful rhetoric, let’s ask ourselves: how can I show love? Who needs a word of encouragement? Who needs a kind gesture of good will? Who needs time and space to share their hurt and frustration and feel like they’ve been heard? How can we stand in the gap and make a difference by showing others the love God has shown us in Jesus?
Wonder:
· Spend a few minutes discussing the love that God showed us by sending Jesus to die for us “while we were yet sinners.”
· How can we show that same kind of love?
Bless:
· Affirm what everyone has shared.
· Pray that God might help us to grow in His Spirit that our lives might more and more be characterized by God’s love.
Pray together:
“Father, thank you for showing us a love in Jesus that we could never earn or repay. Help us to love others in that same way. Show us lost and hurting people who need your love desperately. Guide us to move our feet into service in those stories. In the mighty, loving name of Jesus we pray, Amen.”
We hope that you will join us online Sunday at 9:30 AM in Spanish and at 11:00 AM in English or that you’ll participate in one of our re-launched in person services: 9:30 AM Spanish Service in the sanctuary; 9:30 AM At Risk Service in the FLC (for folks 55 and older or with underlying health concerns); 11:00 AM English Service in the sanctuary. We look forward to worshiping with you!