Have You Ever Met Love? Part I

Love is an interesting word. If you were to ask ten people ‘What is love?’ you would probably have ten different answers. Certainly, each answer would bear something similar to the others given but each would have its own shade and color. 

One of the great challenges I have as a pastor is to teach and demonstrate what a Christian community should be like. 

Community. That word resonates with me. It is, I believe, an appropriate way to understand what a church should be. Also, the word ‘family’ is a term that
describes church life.  As great and moving as these terms are in giving description to the church, none of them can find legitimate residence in any assembly without the existence of love. 

Again, a slippery slope we encounter when trying to define love. In all my years
of pastoral work I have never come up with a definition of love but I have come
across some descriptions. What I find in these descriptions, excavated from biblical texts, is a language of and about God that is universal and transcendent of any denomination or religious affiliation. A language we all need to hear.

Genesis….The Beginning Of Love

The Hebrew scriptures start with the account we know as Genesis. The term Genesis means "beginnings." Genesis is the book of beginnings, sharing how God began his relationship with the world and the crown of his creation - humankind. 

The Creator and the created are in harmony until a violation takes place when both Adam and Eve partake in eating fruit from a forbidden tree. This act is the result of a conversation with the serpent that was just as forbidden as the consumption of the fruit. 

Immediately, the first couple of creation is overcome by shame. As most people do when they are ashamed and embarrassed, they try to hide - or at least hide the shame. 

The narrative continues with Adam and Eve responding to their shame with an effort to cover their nakedness (innocence) with fig leaves. As soon as they are fitted and dressed in their outfits they hear God’s “voice walking in the garden in the cool of the evening.”

They hide. With fear gripping them tightly, they are confronted with a question: “Adam…where are you?”  Here is Love! God is searching, looking for Adam and Eve. Love goes after those who are hiding, and who in that hiding become lost. 

We all know of someone who is hiding. Maybe a friend, associate or co-worker who has had some major event in their life goes wrong or who has just plain done wrong. They chose not to face the parade of criticism and dress in fig leaves and hide.

Fig leaves and hiding places are plenteous. Some dress and hide in abusive relationships, looking for affirmation.  Others turn to mind-altering substances and other forms of illegal action that abuse the body and mind. Whatever or wherever the fig leaves and hiding places might be, so many people we know are engaging in this form of avoidance. 

This is where we come in. We must look for them. 

Love is the unconditional pursuit of what and who is valuable to us. That value is discerned properly because we have accepted how valuable that person or thing is to the Creator of all of us. Love pulls at us and beckons us to find those pretending to be someone they are not (dressing in fig leaves) and those who are hiding from what everyone is going to say if they face the unlovely observations concerning their mistakes.

Love says, “Come out wherever you are!” Sometimes this is the start of healing and growing that some need. They see that someone cares enough to look for them. 

Love has a way of persuading and says to someone, “Where you are, you don’t belong."

A question comes to mind: Have you ever dressed in fig leaves and hid before? Did Love pursue you? I have. When Love found me it gave me a new determination that I could go on because I knew I was loved. I didn’t have answers or solutions but I had someone’s love, a love for which they took the time out of their busy schedule to look for me.

Find someone today who is pretending and hiding. Through this you might renew the value they have forgotten that they have. 

Part II of this blog will appear next week