Opening Joke:
A young man called his mother and announced excitedly that he had just met the woman of his dreams. Now what should he do?
His mother had an idea: "Why don't you send her flowers, and on the card invite her to your place for a home-cooked meal?"
He thought this was a great strategy and arranged a date for a week later. His mother called the day after the big date to see how things had gone.
"The evening was a disaster," he moaned.
"Why, didn't she come over?" asked his mother.
"Oh, she came over, but she refused to cook."
Sermon: What is Love?
I’ve got a short and sweet one for you today. Does anyone know what will happen in 5 days, that focuses on a certain 4-letter word? Yep, Valentine’s Day. A day typically reserved for sweet treats, flowers, a nice meal out, or self-care. I thought today would be a great opportunity to talk about Love. What it means, its qualities, and some examples of what we do out of Love.
When I sat down to compile my thoughts on this topic and how I would convey it, I wondered what love actually means. I’m sure we all have our own thoughts about the meaning of love but according to the Bible, love is “a selfless act of putting others before yourself”. These selfless acts can range from minor, like holding the door open for someone and letting that person go ahead of you, to life-saving like donating a kidney. I’d love for all of you to take a moment thinking of one selfless act that you do or have done out of Love. We will come back and share a few a little later.
After I discovered how the Bible describes Love, I came across 8 qualities of Love. They are
Patience: love is patient, kind, and never boasting
Who here hasn’t been in traffic or behind a painfully, slow-moving vehicle? Who among us didn’t have the patience during that time? Love is patient.
Compassion: love involves compassion, care, and self-sacrifice
Who here has possibly taken in their aging parent or family member to care for them during the last stage of their life? Love is compassion.
Unconditional: love is unconditional and sacrificial
Who has children?? How many times might your child have disappointed you or wronged you in some way? Love is unconditional.
Selfless: love is selfless and shows itself in action
Do you or someone you know move to a new town, city, state, or country for their partner? Love is selfless.
Giving: love involves giving without expecting anything in return
How many of you donate to this church? Your time, talents, energy, or money? Love is giving without expecting to receive anything
Forgiving: love involves forgiving without punishing
Do you or anyone you know hop into your father’s car, place it in reverse, and back it into the closed garage? Love is forgiving.
Trusting: love involves trusting without wavering
How many of us have a partner or spouse that says what they mean and mean what they say? Someone you can 100% rely on? Love is trusting.
Listening: love involves listening without interrupting
How many of you have had an argument or disagreement and instead of listening and waiting your turn to speak, you get right in there and say what you need to say because you feel it’s more important? Love is listening first, then responding.
There is only one person, I know, that embodied all 8 of these qualities and never faltered in them. Whereas I tend to struggle the most with listening without interrupting. We are human and we make mistakes. But, we can all try harder to love one another.
So, time to share some examples of what we do or have done out of love. I’ll go first with a simple one: I show love by sometimes folding my kids’ laundry as it comes out of the dryer. Most times, my two oldest are tasked with the chore because it prepares them for adulthood. Who would like to share next? Thank you for sharing some examples of what you do out of love.
As stated in 1 John 4, God commands us to love one another because love comes from God. God showed us how much he truly loves us by sending his one and only son, Jesus Christ, into the world. And we know that Jesus died on the cross for our salvation. Talk about a selfless act! As you prepare for your week, I hope that it is filled with love, patience, compassion, and listening. Amen
By Andrea Decker