Last week…I wasn’t there (I missed y’all!) but I know that the guest facilitators were AMAZING — many thanks to Gene & Gina for being so kind as to do this while I was away (THANK YOU BOTH!!!).
So last week we checked in — the homework had been thinking about putting on love and the scripture that was considered and focused on was the scripture that had shaped the homework, Colossians 3:12-14
12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord[a] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (New Revised Standard Version)
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (New International Version)
I imagine (& have heard) the conversation was rich. That y’all seemed to know what it is to put on love — which by the way, I think is pretty amazing & so (spoiler alert) — I might want to hear a little bit of this wisdom tomorrow! And while it seems all knew the “how-to” of putting on love, the authenticity, the consistency, and the why we practice it might have proved more elusive.
And I wonder if this elusiveness might be connected to our discomfort in understanding LOVE in its noun (as compared with verb) form, or even why sitting in our own belovedness (the understanding that GOD is the first lover, that how much GOD loves & delights in us does not change no matter what we do or do not do, that grace is a free gift — defined by being unearned — GOD just loves us — it’s the character of who GOD is — whether we like it or not!) feels a bit uncomfortable?
Now, just as a reminder what exactly was the homework from last Sunday?
- Meditate on any of the scriptures we have considered thus far:
- Matthew 22:37-39 (love God…love neighbor)
- 1 Corinthians 13 (love is patient…love is kind…the greatest of these is love)
- Luke 7:36-47 (who will love more? The one to whom more has been forgiven)
- Colossians 3:12-14 (put on love)
- As you meditate on (one) of these scriptures, consider if anything “new” jumps out at you. How do you hear the text (scripture) now? Has your understanding of “love” changed at all? (Is the invitation to #love harder or easier today?)
- And finally, as/after you meditate — try to sit again in your (our) belovedness — our identity of beloved of GOD. Has this (sitting in belovedness) become easier or more challenging? We are wondering outloud together if it is easier or harder to consider our (first) identity as beloved of GOD?
So for tomorrow, perhaps we will lean into some of this discomfort in our journey with our #love series to think about, why exactly do we practice putting on love & how exactly does that connect with our own experience of our belovedness, our own understanding of how God loves us? Maybe we’ll reflect on a song I at least know from my childhood,
We love. Because God first loved us. We love. Because God first loved us. We love. We love. We love. Because God first loved us!
That is our prayer — may we love (#love) because beloved, God first loved us. Amen.
Blessings y’all & see you tomorrow!
~ Rev. Sabrina Slater