Love in Lent

“Love in Lent”

Ephesians 5:1-14

    “ the fruit of the Spirit is all righteousness, goodness and truth”

“ Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us”

“ For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord”

    We would not think perhaps to list love as one of the things we should put on during Lent, but that is what the Epistle focuses in on for today.  What a place the world and the church would be if we applied this now.  We would want to be doing things that are” well pleasing to the Lord” 5:10a now so that our lives would reflect His light in the world.  “ Walk as children of light” and have “ no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness”

    Be followers or the word in the original is imitators ( from the greek word where we get our word mimic)of God.  We mimic from an early age as young people we need an example to follow.  Here the idea is that we follow Christ in walking in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.  We are to follow God in that way and in that kind of love.   “ Recompense no man evil for evil” Romans 12:17  The sermon on the mount reminds us “ love your enemies…do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” Mt 5:43   These are things we are not inclined in our own power and strength to do but these things are “ the fruit of the Spirit”.

   “ Whoever loves much, does much. “

Thomas a' Kempis.

“A few years ago, the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, MO made public 1,300 recently discovered letters that the late President wrote to his wife, Bess, over the course of a half-century. Mr. Truman had a lifelong rule of writing to his wife every day they were apart. He followed this rule whenever he was away on official business or whenever Bess left Washington to visit her beloved Independence. Scholars are examining the letters for any new light they may throw on political and diplomatic history. For our part, we were most impressed by the simple fact that every day he was away, the President of the United States took time out from his dealing with the world's most powerful leaders to sit down and write a letter to his wife. “

Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, pp. 15-16.

2. Walk in love as Christ also has loved us.  This must be again a spiritual act for no one can do this in their own strength and power.  When someone offends us or does something we do not like to us we are often tempted and tested to just simply write them off our lists.  Instead they go on our other list  ----the enemies’ list,  the do not call registry…..etc.  I am not trying to minimize their actions or the fact that they deserve our anger and our retribution.  That would be the way that most of us would like to handle them. But that is not the way Christ loved us.

    Romans 5:6-8 reminds us so clearly: “ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

We are to show the fruit of the Spirit in all righteousness, goodness and truth no matter what others may think or say about us.   Whatever doth make manifest is light.”  It is not easy to live in the world of deception, falsehoods, outright lies, and wickedness.  We should be the light in these times .  The light of Christ should shine in and through us as we encounter others in their own lives.  It is as Mother Teresa said so wisely before she died, “

The version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

              People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

            If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

            If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

           If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

            What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

            If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

            The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

         Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

         In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

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“ Walk in love”  “ Be imitators of God”

“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us”