May 25, 2008
"Living In The Spirit Of Love"
(Galatians 5:22-25)
Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
"When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you're scared they won't love you anymore. But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you, they love you even more."
"There are two kinds of love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them."
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."
"Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don't yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings."
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
And my favorite one of all: "God could have said magic words to make the nails fall off the cross, but He didn't. That's love." (1)
If you haven't guessed, today we're going to be looking at "Living In The Spirit Of Love." Let's listen again to the passage from Paul. Galatians 5:22-25 (NRSV)
[22] By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
[23] gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.
[24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
[25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
For me Living In The Spirit has to begin with Love. I don't know who to attribute it to but someone put it this way: "Love is the key. Joy is love singing. Peace is love resting. Patience is love enduring. Kindness is love's touch. Generosity is love's character. Faithfulness is love's habit. Gentleness is love's self-forgetfulness. Self-control is love holding the reins." (2) Love s the key. It all begins with Love.
The word we use for Love in English actually comes from four different Greek words. Storge, Philia, Eros and Agape. Each of these words defines a different kind of Love. Briefly lets look at the first three and then we'll focus on the fourth.
Storge or Affection. This is the word we use when we talk about something we like intensely or have an AFFECTION for. "I love cheese popcorn. Or I love chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven and just barely cool enough to eat. I love pizza." You'd probably never hear Eve say, "I just love apples" but it's that kind of Affection.
This is also the affection we have for pets, for our jobs, our hobbies, for sports etc. "I just love the Stars." Or "I love playing golf." Or "I love teaching."
While we talk about it being AFFECTION it really has nothing to do with Affection for another person, that's actually two other kinds of love.
The first of which is Philia or Friendship. This is the Affection or love we have for a friend or someone of like mind and interest. Philia is the bond that holds us together as a congregation. It's brotherly or sisterly love toward one another because of the love and forgiveness which we have experienced from God.
C.S. Lewis says that Philia is the least natural of loves. It's not necessary biologically. It has the least association with impulse or emotion. And yet it is often seen as the most admirable of loves because it looks not at an individual or a feeling but at what is best for the whole group bonded together in this kind of love. Fraternities, sororities, political parties and almost every organization is built on Philia.
Then there's the love that is associated with emotion. Eros or Being In Love. This is the love which drives us together in mutual physical, emotional and sexual support of one another. Maybe the kids from the group before will give some clues.
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
"Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Eros or Being In Love is the love shared between a man and a woman.
A. And that brings us to Agape or Caritas or Unconditional Love. This is the Love which drives the Church. This is the Love you and I experience from God through Jesus Christ. This is the Love which allowed Jesus to take up His cross and suffer for our sakes. This is the kind of love which has no conditions on it at all.
This is the love which allows and motivates us to love our neighbor as our selves and motivates us to love our enemies, even though that's the last thing we want to do.
Unconditional Love is what leads us, guides us, motivates us to acts and deeds of kindness without thought of the cost. Unconditional Love is what has prompted our involvement in such great missions projects like the CTCYM Mission Trips our youth and adults go on every year.
Unconditional Love is what motivates us to get behind something like Nothing But Nets. According to the Nothing But Nets website we have purchased over 2 million nets to date. And Distributed 729,812 nets to the children and families of Africa. 133,00 in Mali. 155,000 in Nigeria. 40,000 in Chad. 188,000 in Gabon. 211,000 in Congo-Brazzaville. 800 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And a little over 7,000 in Zimbabwe. You can see how the distribution has been going and the newest countries which will be receiving nets shortly Côte d'Ivoire and The Central African Republic.
It's Unconditional Love for our neighbors which allows us to care for children and people we don't even know, on the other side of the world.
B. A man was awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call. On the other end was a frantic and sobbing girl who managed to get out these words, "Daddy, I'm pregnant." He was groggy and stunned but communicated his forgiveness and prayed with her. The next day he and his wife wrote their daughter two letters of counsel and love.
Three days later the father received another phone call. His daughter was shocked by the letters because she wasn't the one who had called. Some other distraught girl had dialed a wrong number. Nonetheless, the letters were not wasted. Their expressions of unconditional love and forgiveness are now a treasured possession.
Here are a few excerpts: "Though I weep inside, I can't condemn you, because I sin too. Your transgression is no worse than mine. It's just different. It all comes from the same sin package you inherited through us. We're praying much. We love you more than I can say. And respect you, too, as always. Remember, God's love is in even this, maybe especially in this. This is a day of testing, but hold our ground we must. God will give us the victory. We're looking forward to your being at home. Love, Dad." That my friends is Unconditional Love.
In a few minutes we are going to present our Graduating Seniors. Many of them are going off to College. Some may be going to trade school. Some may just go to work. But out of all the Seniors we know that some will succeed, some will try and fail and start over. Some will fail and give up. Some will get distracted. Some of them will make life changing mistakes.
We wish them the best and hope and pray that we have prepared and equipped them for the world. But we need to send them off with the knowledge that no matter what happens in their lives; no matter what mistakes they make; this will always be a place of Unconditional Love.
We may not be able to fix or solve any problems they get themselves into. But we will stand by them as they face the consequences of their mistakes and deal with the problems that arise. The mistakes they make may disappoint us but it won't change our Unconditional Love for them.
That's the promise of the cross. That's God's promise to everyone who comes through the doors of the church. Unfortunately, that has not always been how everyone, down through the ages has been treated in the churches. And it's time to rededicate ourselves to a life of Living In The Spirit of Unconditional Love.
We are loved Unconditionally by God and we're called to let God's Unconditional Love be seen in us by how we love the world Unconditionally. Living In The Spirit of Unconditional Love demands grace and sacrifice that can only come through Christ living in us and extending that love through us.
Remember "God could have said magic words to make the nails fall off the cross, but He didn't. That's love, Unconditional Love." Can we live any less than that as a Thank You for our salvation?
Live In The Spirit of Love, Unconditional Love.
1. The Autoillustrator, P.O. Box 336517, Greeley, CO 80633 1-877-970-AUTO (2886)
2. The Autoillustrator, P.O. Box 336517, Greeley, CO 80633 1-877-970-AUTO (2886)
3. NothingButNets.net
4. The Autoillustrator, P.O. Box 336517, Greeley, CO 80633 1-877-970-AUTO (2886)
Barclay, William: Daily Study Bible of the New Testament (WordSearch Bible Software Version)
Homiletics, (Communications Resources, Inc., Canton, OH)
Lectionary Homiletics, (Lectionary Homiletics, Inc. Midlothian, VA)
Dynamic Preaching, (Seven Worlds Publishing, Knoxville, TN)
The Clergy Journal, (Logos Productions, Inc., Inver Grove Heights, MN)
Preaching Magazine (Preaching Resources, Jackson, TN)
Circuit Rider, (The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, TN)
The Interpreter's Bible, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1953)
The New Interpreter's Bible, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1995)
Lights, Camera...Faith by Peter Malone with Rose Pacatte (Daughters of St. Paul, 2002)
Praying the Movies by Edward McNulty, (Geneva Press, Lousville, KY, 2001)
Movie Clips for Kids (Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO, 2002)
Bore No More, Vols 1 & 2 (Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO, 1995 & 1999)
Group's Blockbuster Movie Illustrations, Vols 1 & 2 (Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO, 2001 & 2003)
Movie Based Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching, by Craig Brain Larson and Andrew Zahn(Zondervan Publishing, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI, 2003)
Videos That Teach: Vols 1-3 by Doug Fields & Eddie James (Zondervan Publishing, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI, 1999, 2002, 2004)
SermonWriter by Dick Donovan (Copyright, Richard Niell Donovan, 2000
Deacon Sil's Homiletic Resources
Richard Fairchild Lectionary Resources
Preaching.com's Movie Ministry
The Text This Week Movie Theme Index
The Source For Youth Ministry Movie Clips