Love.
Love that eminates from God.
Love that permeates these lives.
Love that calls us, drives us, commands us to selflessness.
Love that counters the quid pro quo and therefore false expressions of love presented by empire.
Love that values the other above one's own gains in power, wealth or status.
Love that enables transformation in self, in relationships and in community.
Love that empowers growth in self, in relationships and in community.
Love that does not allow ethnocentrism, xenophobia, racism, classism, homophobia, religious intolerance or nativism/nationalism, but draws from us graciousness, acceptance and the celebration of the other.
Love that demands sharing, equality, equitable treatment of those who are our brothers and sisters and respect for others.
Love that does not drive apart but draws together.
Love that identifies with the "least" among us - the poor, frail, sick, stranger, refugee, homeless, disenfranchised and most vulnerable.
Love that turns empire values on their head for the sake of Kingdom values based on it alone.
Love that changes perspectives so that wealth is seen as communal, power is seen as equally shared and status is defined by those who most exhibit it in the world.
Love that values being (gracious, generous, kind) above having (power, wealth, status).
Love that is contagious in that those who experience receiving it want to share it in the world around them.
Love that transcends culture, ethnicity, faith, sexuality, class and any other differences to re-define our commonality, our togetherness and our well-being.
Love that promotes the well-being of all and not just some, so that all may truly be well.
Love that unites us with the universe, even as it is the stuff on which the universe is built.
Love that finds a way to maintain hope in hopelessness, joy in despair and peace in chaos.
Love that will not let us go, but is relentless in its drive to be lived among us.
Love that will not go away, but exists and is lived in the most surprising places and ways.
Love that will not be taken away from all, even though many refuse to value or live it.
Love that will not fail, because it cannot.
Love that cannot be stripped from us, because it eminates from God and exists universally.
Love that leads to graciousness, generosity and kindness or it is not real love.
Love that is active commitment on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy and especially the most vulnerable.
Love that is not about the object but rather about the giver's need to give it, selflessly.
Love that is not about feelings but rather about doing the right thing for the right reasons.
Love that promotes sustained life and well-being in life for all and not just for some.
Love that is unconditional so that it does not depend upon worthiness or merit.
Love that is self-sacrificing when that is necessary.
Love that is taught, commanded and modeled by Jesus, as we have witness in the Gospels.
Yes, there is such Love. It is, for me what Emmanuel is all about.
Agape Love.
Shalom -
Pastor Jamie
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