Our church bulletin instructs the congregation to “Greet one another in Christian love” during fellowship time. But what is true Christian love? We use the term “love” without thought. We love the Braves, ice cream and taking long walks on the beach. We tell friends we love them when what we may love is what they do for us or how they entertain us. The old saying goes, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” On the other end of the spectrum is the definition of Christian love (charity) by my ethics professor Dr. Timothy Jackson as: unconditional commitment to the good of others, equal regard for others' well-being, and passionate service open to self-sacrifice for the sake of others. It goes beyond just listening to a friend’s problems and offering sage advice. The love described in our scripture means being willing to make personal sacrifice to help the friend resolve the problem. “Love is acting intentionally in sympathetic response to others and God to promote overall well-being.” We spent days in class on the concept of unconditional agape. The Bible gives us the Good Samaritan and “love your enemies.” God challenges us to love others not because of who they are, or what they do, but just because they are.
Loving God, We know we can only love others because you first loved us. Help us to be more loving and less judgmental, more giving and less self-serving, and more open to those beyond our immediate circle of friends. Help us see the lonely with the eyes of Christ. We pray this in His name. Amen.
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