Advent Devotional #5: Love
“Do I love everyone, even my enemies, even the enemies of God, as my own soul?”
by Rev. Jorge Acevedo from Almost Christmas: Devotions for the Season
A few years ago, I was privileged to spend two days with renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright. I asked him, “What characterized the first followers of Jesus?” He quickly responded, “It was their passionate love for each other and their care for the poor and diseased.” During Advent we light a candle to represent the love that Jesus brings. And it’s not a stretch to say that more than anything else, the litmus test for fidelity in following Jesus is the high call to love people. Think about the witnesses of Scripture to this truth. In the Upper Room with his apprentices, Jesus told them straight:
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” - John 13:34-35 NLT.
From foot washing as an example in John 13 to the “fruit that lasts” in John 15, the rubber meets the road for Jesus in our willingness to love people. The author of 1 John wrote in a similar vein decades later, with these challenging words: “This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” (3:11 NLT)
Similarly, the author of 1 Peter emphasized love in our relationships with others:
“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.” - 1 Peter 3:8-9 NLT.
Jesus even had the audacity in the Sermon on the Mount to up the ante regarding love. He teaches:
“You have heard the law that says, ‘love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” - Matthew 5:43-45 NLT.
As a self-described “man of one book,” Mr. John Wesley knew this high calling to love for those of us who follow the Rabbi from Nazareth. His searching question, “Do I love everyone, even my enemies, even the enemies of God, as my own soul?” cuts to the quick and reveals the distance yet to be traveled in our pilgrimage with our triune God for all of us. We all fall short in our capacity to love people well. Advent is a time to remember our calling to love all people and to commit ourselves to love as a way of preparing our hearts and lives for Jesus.
This high calling is not the problem, after all. It’s the execution of living a life of radical love that is our dilemma. Because let’s be honest. People are messy and relationships are hard. I believe the avenue to loving all people regardless of circumstance is acknowledging that you can’t. As a person in recovery, I love the Twelve Steps. Step 1 reminds us of our powerlessness:
“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.”
In the words of Wesley, loving “everyone, even my enemies, even the enemies of God” requires a power greater than ourselves. It is only as “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts” (Romans 5:5 KJV) that God’s love can splash out of us and onto others. The good news is that this power greater than ourselves is coming into the world. Jesus is coming to us as God with us.
Recently, I spoke with one of the mature saints in our church who was raised in a very proper church where everyone was just like him. Our diverse congregation and ministries have stretched him. He told me with tears in his eyes, “If you had told me that I’d know and love drug addicts, prostitutes, and people with all kinds of tattoos, I’d have told you that you were crazy. But I do.” My friend is learning Jesus’ way of loving everyone.
Reflection Questions:
Do you love everyone, even your enemies, even the enemies of God?
Who (or when) do you struggle to love?
How could you better embody Jesus’ way of loving everyone?