Yes, Christmas is getting closer and yes we have yet to light the Advent Candle of LOVE. Lighting a candle is relatively easy. Loving is not. There are people in our lives whom we find easy to LOVE. Then there are people who are not those with whom we would naturally choose to spend time. They may frustrate us. They may misrepresent us and accuse us of things that are not true. In some cases, we try to avoid such people, but the affect of their words and actions is not always possible to escape. It may be that some of the people we find most difficult to be in relationship with are in our own families. Their words may take on a tone that is undermining and hurtful. Some of these individuals may be part of gatherings we will attend over Christmas holidays. How are we to be with people whom we find difficult? Does Jesus, God’s Son have anything to say about this? Does the same Jesus who entered our world as God’s greatest gift of LOVE ever given, have instructions for us about loving when it is not easy to LOVE? He does and we can read these words in Matthew 5:43-46a,43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” When we read these verses, there may be people who come to mind whom we find hard to LOVE. Jesus tells us to LOVE them and to pray for them. This is not excusing rude or intolerable behaviour as acceptable. This is seeing beyond the behaviour to care about the person. Anyone who is behaving in an aggressive or unkind way is being held captive and missing the warmth of LOVE. This week we will pray and trust God with all of our relationships when we pause for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow December 20th at 1 pm.
Praying that God will give us the capacity to LOVE as He LOVES, Pastor Lola
Our God of LOVE, we come to You today to thank You for loving our world so much that You sent Your own Son Jesus to demonstrate the depth of Your LOVE for us. You gave all of us this miraculous gift of LOVE. There are some who acknowledge and thank You for Your generous gift of Jesus. There are others who ignore You altogether or are so caught up in their own priorities that although they believe in You, they give You little time or attention. Still You LOVE everyone. We are praying today for our LOVE to become more like Yours. Your LOVE is truly unconditional. So often our measure of LOVE depends on receiving LOVE. We want to consider the recorded words of Jesus, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” We admit this would not be our first thought. Please transform our thoughts to replace resentment in our hearts with the beginnings of an attitude of LOVE. We know that often those who do not treat others well are struggling themselves and feeling unloved. Please guide our words and actions to bring LOVE into these relationships. When we feel persecuted, we ask that rather than retaliate that we will choose to pray for those individuals. Right now we pray blessing for those we find most difficult to LOVE. We pray that they will experience Your LOVE and care for them. May they encounter You in this time of celebrating the miraculous birth of Jesus. For people who are feeling the weight of depression, grief, and loss this Christmas, we pray for our expressions of LOVE that will remind them of Your everlasting and unconditional LOVE. We are Your children and we want to act like children of You our Father in heaven. It is a gift and a blessing to love those who love us. We are so grateful that You have given us people to LOVE and to be loved by. We hear Jesus urging us on to an even deeper kind of LOVE. This will not happen with our capacity to LOVE. We will need Your infinite capacity for LOVE. What can begin as something small and local can spread wider and wider and touch people all around our world. Our God, we do pray for the power of Your LOVE to change the perspective of enemies who are currently engaged in war and fighting and killing. If people do choose to LOVE their enemies, there could be an end to war. If people choose to LOVE their enemies, there could be restoration of severed relationships. If people choose to LOVE their enemies, people could live in safety instead of fear. These are the kinds of extraordinary gifts we long for this Christmas. Guide us we pray, to give the kind of LOVE that Jesus gave that really will change everything and everyone including us. Enable us to forgive and to be forgiven so that LOVE not hate will win. In the Name of Jesus who has taught us how to LOVE. AMEN.