Blog
Here we are coming into February, with Christmas a distant memory and spring still feeling a long way away, so what is our focus at the moment?
If we believe the florists and card sellers February is the time of Valentine’s cards and red roses, proposals and grand gestures. For Christians, however, there are other expressions of love.
Becoming a Christian involves not only loving God, but also accepting His love for us. This can often be the hardest part – I don’t know about you but I still find it hard to believe that God could
love me, with all my flaws, doubts and imperfections. Yet John 3:16: tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This verse highlights the ultimate expression of God’s love through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. What greater love is there than this?
The Bible also tells us that we were made in God’s image and so, just as He loves us, so He tells us to love others. Mark 12:30-31: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Jesus underscores the importance of love for God and for others as the greatest commandments.
James 2:15-16: takes it further and tells us “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” This verse emphasizes that genuine love involves meeting the needs of others through tangible actions. We cannot just pay lip service to love – we need to demonstrate it through our actions.
So, how do we at SBC express love for our neighbours? I believe that every donation into the foodbank collection box is an expression of empathy and love for people we may not know, who’s beliefs are a mystery to us, but who we know are in need
Every time Arderne leads a team into the care home to take a service to those unable to access church, this is showing love for our neighbours. Similarly, whenever the Renew team turn up to offer a safe space and a sympathetic ear to whoever may need it, when the Dwelling Place and Craft and Chatter volunteers give up their time and energy to offer a welcome, these are all expressions of love and care for those around us.
Closer to home, those who serve here in all the various roles e.g. welcome, coffee making, service leading, running the tech, leading us in worship, or when Eileen and the mowing team come to look after the garden,
– these are all demonstrating a love of God and the fellowship here in these acts of service.
We may be a small church but we are a family and, just like any other family, we have our niggles and squabbles. I do believe though that there is a tangible love and affection for God and each other that comes across to visitors, and is where our reputation for being a warm and friendly church originates from
We shouldn’t rest on our laurels; we can always do more and there is always more to be done. Sometimes, when we see what is happening in the world, we can feel overwhelmed and think we can make no difference. We may not be able to influence matters on a global scale, but we can show love and kindness to those around us and, if we all do the same, these small acts can spread. Think of a love pandemic!
In this month that is a celebration of love, then, I thought it would be good to acknowledge that there is an abundance of it here at SBC. It may not always be recognized as such, but love it is, and it can be infectious.
Sue H