The Love we need is the Love we give

 

The Scriptures I’m reflecting on this week prompt us to continue the good feeling we’ve had during this Christmas season, despite the pandemic.  Now that the Lord has come and is manifested to all who believe, they’ll hear His message to hear the cry of the poor.  In this way we join all others in the world in our worship and adoration of the Savior.  Now, in early January after the Epiphany we see that love is like the five loaves and two fishes – there never seems to be enough food to go around until we start giving it away.

Back in the 60’s, the Beatles sang, "All you need is love."  But the “love” that John Lennon wrote about was more of a love borne of relativism, than one of Truth.  Some two thousand years earlier, John, the disciple that Jesus loved, was also saying that all we need is love.  But he had it right—God is love.  And this is the love we truly need (1John 4:7-10).  

Love is the bond that allows us to interact with each other, whether in the workplace, at home, or among friends.  It’s also this sacred connection that allows us to be intimate and to understand our Creator (as much as our finite minds can understand Him).  And in the same way, just as God wants to continuously remind us that we’re truly and uniquely loved by Him, we must also practice this same value with each other.

In Mark’s account of the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus first said to His apostles: "Give the people something to eat" before the miracle occurred (Mark 6:34-44).

It's strange that Jesus would say something like that just to make the point that they (the apostles) could hardly begin to feed such a multitude and to point up that, "Oh, by the way, watch Me and see what I can do."

Obviously, Jesus didn’t mean that. So what did He mean when He told the apostles to give the people something to eat? Of course we don't know for sure, but it seems He was exhorting the apostles to do "something" to help, something to alleviate the problem of the moment.

About the only thing they could do was to search out what little food was available and make it available to the Lord who can do all things. I think that’s the lesson for us, to put our gifts however seemingly small and insignificant at the disposal of the Lord who can multiply beyond our belief what little we thought we had.

Very often, in our own personal circumstances, we despair at the little resources we have, be it time, money, talent, or knowledge.  We think that if only we had "this", or we were like "that", we would achieve our goals.  Yet each day we're called to use what we're given -- even though it may be little -- and God will bless and multiply our efforts according to the purpose He desires.

In the face of daunting and mind-challenging obstacles like most of us are facing in this day and age, we mustn’t stop and despair, but continue to use all the resources that are available to us and just trust in the Lord that He’ll make up for our discrepancies and shortfalls according to His holy will.

How very blessed we are to have a God and Creator that loves us so much that if we remain in love, we remain in Him and He in us (1John 4:13)!  How truly blessed we are that He loves us unconditionally even when we don't deserve it!  How truly blessed we are that He loves us—man and woman, black and white, rich and poor, young and old.  How truly blessed we are that He loves us so much that He gave us His only Son as ransom for us and our sins.

We are not measured by how much we do for one another, but by God’s grace. Wouldn’t it be great if we practiced the same love we’re given by God with our brothers and sisters?  Whether it’s saying 'hi' to an old friend, getting to know your boss a little better, or striking up a conversation with a co-worker that you see sitting by him or herself at lunch, let people know that they’re loved.  And just as Jesus fed over five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, let’s practice giving to those in need, spiritually or emotionally.  We may be imperfect and flawed, but in every moment of every day we’ll always be deeply loved by the One who knows all things.

Every nation on earth will adore the Lord God when his people follow his teachings to bring peace and justice to all and defend the afflicted and the children of the poor (Psalm 72:1-8).  What a concept! Instead of complaining that someone is “undocumented” and labeling them “illegal” or “criminal” when all they’ve done is come to our country to make a better life for themselves, why not find a way to bring them into the fold of Christ’s mercy and justice?  Like the loaves and fishes, the love we show them can only multiply if the love is given in Jesus’ name.