Light Service Sermons for the Month
Putting the Love Back into Life
DATE: October 18, 1998
TEXT: I Corinthians 13:4-8
Light Service Sermons for the Month
Putting the Life Back into Life
Putting the Love Back into Life
DATE: October 18, 1998
TEXT: I Corinthians 13:4-8
I heard a true story about an unhealthy looking gentleman who sat in the doctor's office one day, anxiously waiting to hear the report from his medical doctor regarding his annual physical exam. Finally the doctor entered with his clipboard in hand and said, "Well, sir, I've got good news and I have bad news. Let me assure you that that you can lead a perfectly normal life, just so long as you don't enjoy yourself." All of us like that man, know there is more to life than just a healthy, beating heart, red blood cells pumping, brain waves waving. We really desperately want to put life into our life. There's a deep need in all of us to find meaning and fulfillment—to find vitality in the midst of our physical life. And there's probably nothing that gives us more life than healthy relationships. >From the very beginning of time God wired us for relationships whether family, friendships, marriage, clans, tribes--all are means through which God brings God's grace into our lives. Unfortunately for many of us, however, these same relationships can create in us the most distress… loneliness, loss of a loved one, a loved one far, far away. Anxiety rises when we face a conflict with someone we love. There's the absolute pain and despair of a broken relationship or a divorce. So today in our series, "Putting the Life Back into Life" we are going to focus on the theme, "Putting the Love Back into Life." How you and I can enjoy healthy relationships. But before we talk about that, let's pray together… You didn't create us to be alone dear God. You created us to be in love—in love with you, in love with our families, in love with your creatures, your creation. Relationships is the name of the game we know. And relationships—goods one—make like worth living. AMEN Lucy once said to Charlie Brown, "Charlie Brown, there's one thing I don't understand and I wish you'd explain it to me. I don't understand love. Explain that to me Charlie Brown." Charlie Brown paused for a moment then said, "Well, Lucy, you can't explain love. I could recommend a book or a poem or a painting, but I can't explain love!" "Try, Charlie Brown, just try!" Charlie Brown said, "Well, Okay. Let's say this cute, beautiful little girl walks by." Lucy interrupted, "Charlie Brown, why does she have to be cute and beautiful? Why couldn't someone fall in love with someone with freckles and a big nose?" Charlie Brown paused, then said, "Well, maybe you're right. Let's say that a girl walks by with a great big nose."" Lucy interrupts him again and says, "A great big nose! I didn't say she had a great big nose!" Charlie Brown throws up his arms, "Not only can you not explain love, sometimes you can't even talk about it." For centuries people have been trying to explain love through song and poetry, movies, and all kinds of ways. Most often when we hear about love we think of this romantic, mysterious feeling that comes and goes. We fall in love; we fall out of love. Most often we think of romance. But God's love as described in our text today is so much more. God's love is giving-love. It's sacrificial love. It's an attitude of caring. I'd like to read to a passage from a book called The Message, a paraphrase by Eugene Petersen of the New Testament and Psalms. You may hear it in a new light. I would like to read to you the section that covers 1 Corinthians 13. "Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut. Love doesn't have a swelled head. It doesn't force itself on others. It isn't always me first. It doesn't fly off the handle. It doesn't keep score of the sins of others. It doesn't revel when others grovel. It takes pleasure in the flowing of truth. It puts up with anything. It trusts God always. It always looks for the best. It never looks back but keeps going to the end. (I Cor.13) Beautiful words. Words we often hear at a wedding. The problem comes when I overlay my life with these words and consider how loving I can be in my own life. Someone suggested that I place my name in this passage wherever the word "love" is located. Listen to it this way: "Stan never gives up. Stan cares more for others than for self. Stan doesn't want what he doesn't have. Stan doesn't strut. Stan doesn't have a swelled head. Stan doesn't force himself on others. Stan isn't always out for me first. He doesn't fly off the handle. He doesn't keep score of the sins of others. He doesn't revel when others grovel. He takes pleasure in the flowing of truth. He puts up with anything. He trusts God always. He always looks for the best. Stan never looks back but keeps going to the end. Those of you who know me well are already smiling. Because you know, as I know, how far I fall short of those words. I could stand here today and try to cajole you and encourage you and inspire and motivate you to follow these instructions and be more loving. But deep down in our hearts we wonder, "How do I do that?" How do I share that kind of love that I know is true and right? I know it's what "God wants for me and my marriage and my friendships. But how do I do that?" My message to you today is that the bottom line, the key issue is not about your love for others or your love for yourself. The bottom line is about God's love for you. Back in the sixty's there was a book and then a movie titled Love Story. It's the story of a young man who falls in love with a young co-ed attending Harvard. They fall deeply in love. The film was a big hit back then. One famous line from the film, a line from which many sermons was written was "Love is never having to say you're sorry." As you probably remember Love Story ends with the young co-ed contracting cancer and dying leaving behind a grieving husband. Our love story, the love story that brings us all here this morning, ends differently. In fact, Paul, the author of our morning's text, says our love story never ends. On the contrary, our love story is about a God who so deeply desired a friendship with us that he sent Jesus to die on the cross that we might forever—without end—have a relationship with him. There's a great story in the Bible in John Chapter 4. It's the familiar story of the Samaritan woman, sometimes called the Woman at the Well. It is a beautiful picture that paints the way that Jesus comes and infuses us with love. This love story begins with Jesus resting near a well while his servants go into a nearby town to buy provisions. While they are gone, a lone woman comes to the well to get water. To set the stage for you, if this woman was asked by Lucy, "explain love" she would have had a hard time. She had three strikes against her. First of all, she was a Samaritan. Centuries before her time when the Jewish people were exiled, some of the Jews that were left in Israel intermarried with people of other races. And so they were considered the outcasts of the Jewish people. There was such animosity and hatred between those people, they would destroy one another's buildings. They would beat one another and hate one another day after day. This Samaritan woman lived within this hateful environment. Second, she was a woman. And in that day, those times, most women were de-valued. They were treated like property. In fact, religious leaders, pharisees, teachers of the law like Jesus were instructed not to greet women in public—even if it was their mother or daughter or wife. In fact there were some religious leaders called the "bloodied and bruised pharisees" who if they saw a woman in public closed their eyes and then often walked into a wall or building. It is in this environment that this woman felt devalued. The third strike against her was she'd been married five times and divorced. Jesus knew that. In those days, and in that time, the wives didn't divorce their husbands, only the husbands divorced their wives. So in a sense, she had been rejected five times. Now if you were in her shoes, can you imagine the amount of anger, bitterness, sense of rejection and embarrassment—all love killers! It is to this woman to whom Jesus comes and sits down at the well and against all protocol, asks for a drink of water. As she does so they strike up a conversation. It's kind of a crazy conservation. But through that conversation her life is transformed. Suddenly in spite of all that she pours out to Jesus, she senses that someone finally accepts her for who she is. Jesus said to her as they were talking, "This water that we drink in this well will last for a moment. But the water I give you will be a wellspring, a fountain springing up to eternal life. An artisan well of love." Eventually, she runs into the village and tells all the townspeople—the same people she had been avoiding—all about Jesus. Her life was changed! Friends, you and I, like that woman at the well, face love-killers. People who reject us; circumstances that conspire against us; hopes that are ridiculed; dreams that are shattered. Yet in the midst of that pain and loneliness we hear Jesus inviting us to the well. Jesus invites us to come and be close to him—to hear his loving words, to spend time in prayer. And to be reminded that Jesus is the Living Water. He is the source of love and joy for our lives. That's why the Bible says that we know love by this, not that we loved God but that God loves us. We love because he first loved us. Jesus says, "I am the vine. You are the branches. He who stays close to me bears much fruit." Paul talks in hi letter to the Galatians about love as a fruit of the spirit. Just as a fruit cannot grow by itself, on its own energy, but rather stays close to the source of its life—as it is connected to that tree so the sap can go out to the branches, to the fruit enabling it to grow—so it is for you and for me. I invite you to the well. Come to where Jesus is. Friends, the bottom line is not about your love for others. It's about God's love for you. The more that soaks into our mind and our heart the more love we will have to share. The beginning of the Love Story is not about you. It's about God. It's about the Jesus Christ that is in you. I want to invite you today to remember that "Jesus Christ in you" is the hope for putting love back into your life. I'd like to read this passage one more time but with a different substitution for you to consider. "Jesus in you never gives up. Jesus in you cares more for others than for self. Jesus in you doesn't want what one doesn't have. Jesus in you doesn't strut. Jesus in you doesn't have a swelled head. Jesus in you doesn't force one's self on others. Jesus in you isn't always out for me first. Jesus in you doesn't fly off the handle. Jesus in you doesn't keep score of the sins of others. Jesus in you doesn't revel when others grovel. Jesus in you takes pleasure in the flowing of truth. Jesus in you puts up with anything. Jesus in you trusts God always. Jesus in you always looks for the best. Jesus in you never looks back but keeps going to the end. Putting love back into your life means welcoming Jesus Christ to come and be your friend, to be your source, to be that artisan well of love that springs up within you.
AMEN