Jesus is a lover, through and through. He always has been and always will be. Lover of homosexuals, aborted and aborters. Lover of addicts and health nuts, teachers, lawyers, janitors, preachers, Trump supporters, Biden supporters, atheists, Buddhists – the list is LITERALLY endless. To him, we’re all sons and daughters – the rest is false identity that we give ourselves or that we carry from or for others.
We often miss this lover in Jesus, thinking “this person loves the wrong person, so I can’t support them” and it looks a lot like division and unlove, instead of looking like accountability. Unlove does not stop sin ; if sin is separation from God and God is love, then unlove merely widens the gap between lover and loved, instead of closing it, bringing us closer to our purpose of being loved.
It’s as if we think rejecting a person because of their practice will “fix” them into loving the “right” way or get them to “straighten up.” As if shunning someone for what they do or who they love could ever bring them into a feeling of family and belonging, which is the very identity of The Church.
If Jesus is the point – and to be clear, he ALWAYS is – then, love is the point. Love in the face of fear, love in the face of despair, disagreement, struggle, loss.
Never do we choose or resort to humiliation, shame, disloyalty, hate, unlove. If we proclaim Jesus as Lord and take the title of Christian [meaning “little Christ”], we must align ourselves with his character – love. Shame is not a biblical motivator for Christ.
Jesus motivated with love, because he is love. He loved/loves/will love the righteous just as he will the unredeemed. He loved/loves/will love the pious just as he will the Pharisee.
I need you to get this. Love is the point. Jesus is the point, right here and now. He prayed for Heaven on earth, right now. So, this means :
- Love is sacrificial, not proud
- We don’t give sin authority by making it the focus
- The little disagreements between denomination and opinion do not matter – not what you believe about hell, the rapture, abortion, homosexuality, politics, etc.
- Do not let disagreement cause division, Jesus is a lover and love requires unity [not to be confused with conformity]
- We can serve as agents of reconciliation if [and only if] we are willing to love without hesitation, condition or regret
I think that in a world divided by racial tension, religious hypocrisy, chaos and hate, we could all do with a little peace and refocusing. This year is not over and we still have the capacity to shift it all – will you do your part ?
Let us never distract from the point. The thing that matters most – it’s Jesus. Just Jesus. Simply Jesus.
Wander with Wonder 