Loveful? Lovely? Love?
I like a good sermon title. I like a good sermon title that works with a “series” or whatever you want to call some kind of thematically connected sermons. That being said “Hopeful?,”Peaceful?,” “Joyful?,” all work quite well but I’ll be the first to admit “Loveful?” does not work well . . . or really work at all but simply couldn’t resist. I’d say sorry but I wouldn’t mean sincerely.
So what to say about love on this fourth week of Advent? This is the time of the year where strangers are kinder, more loving if you will, to other strangers. There is something about this time of year, it has permeated our culture to the point where completely a-religious people feel . . . nicer. It used to be easy for me to, not quite sneer, but to dismiss these seasonal acts of goodness. I can’t do that anymore. What I have been guided to by Mother Spirit is to rejoice in each of them because every act of good is good. Full stop.
It is up to you as listeners, of course, to determine whether or not I was successful but I think I had a useful thing or two to say about love. There is an interesting juxtaposition between our Epistle lesson (Hebrews 10:5-10) and our Gospel lesson (Luke 1:39-55). The author of Hebrews makes the point that with Jesus the need for the sacrifices of the law are over. So what replaces it? The commandments that Jesus said were most important.
As always, let me know what you think as you are inclined and able.
Merry Christmas!
