Love
On our third Sunday of Advent, we paused to consider the most amazing of all topics, the topic of love. Before his death, Jessica’s grandfather was known to say, "Whatever is not conceived and carried out in love will surely fail." Aren’t those profound words? It reminds me of a verse from the book of Proverbs where the writer says to his son, "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man" (Proverbs 3:3). Both this proverb writer and Jess’ grandfather were saying essentially the same thing: "Keep loving, remain faithful, and success will take care of itself." The Apostle Paul said it this way, "Love never fails." If love never fails, then victory must be guaranteed whenever we conceive and carry out our tasks from a place of authentic love. To live up to these words would probably be a good New Year’s resolution for most of us (it certainly would be for me). And doing so should be within our reach, since love is the natural byproduct of a genuine, Christian life. Even as we reflect on Christ’s amazing love for us, let’s commit to funneling that same love into the world around us in 2010 and beyond.