APC 1st July 2020 “The Power of Love” Welcome and Introduction Good morning everyone and welcome to our Midweek Worship. Today I want to introduce our new series that will take us through July and August online and in church once we reopen. It is perhaps the most important series that I will ever speak about. I say that, only because the apostle Paul himself says that this is the most important thing in the Christian life. In fact, he says, if we don’t have this thing everything else we do will be worthless. If you haven’t guessed it already – I’m talking about ‘love’. Over the next two months we will be digging deep into what real Christian love really looks like using St. Paul’s description that we find in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. But today I simply want to whet your appetite for this wonderful topic by sharing a few thoughts about the ‘Power of love’. But first, let’s take a moment to talk to God, let’s pray… Prayer Almighty God we thank you for your great gift of love – the love that we are able to share with those around us, which gives us a sense of self-worth and belonging which enriches our lives in so many ways. You have opened your heart to us, help us to do the same to you. We thank you for your love which defies all expression, constant, total, inexhaustible, flowing out to us like a never-ending stream. You have opened your heart to us, help us to do the same to you. Almighty God, we thank you for loving us before we ever loved you and for continuing to love us even when we fail to love you in return. You have opened your heart to us, help us to do the same to you. Deepen our love for you and for one another. Help us to be faithful and true in all our relationships, and most especially in our relationship with you. You have opened your heart to us, help us to do the same to you. In the name of Christ we pray, Amen. Lord’s Prayer Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever, AMEN. Bible Reading s Matthew 3 v 13-17 The Baptism of Jesus 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 1 Corinthians 13 The Importance of Love “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Reflection ‘The Power of Love’ A college professor had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories of 200 young boys. They were asked to write an evaluation of each boy’s future. In every case the students wrote, “He hasn’t got a chance.” Twenty- five years later another sociology professor came across the earlier study. She had her students follow up on the project to see what had happened to these boys. With the exception of 20 boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved more than ordinary success as lawyers, doctors and businessmen. The professor was astounded and decided to pursue the matter further. Fortunately, all the men were in the area and she was able to ask each one, “How do you account for your success?” In each case the reply came with feeling, “There was this teacher…” The teacher was still alive, so the professor sought her ought and asked the old but still alert lady what magic formula she had used to pull these boys out of the slums into successful achievement. The teacher’s eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a gentle smile. “It’s really very simple,” she said. “I loved those boys.” 1 Love - The Power to keep us going Most of us will never experience the difficulties of growing up in a seriously deprived environment, but all of us will experience challenging circumstances at some stage in our lives. We’ve all said to ourselves on occasion, “I can’t do this, it’s all too much, this is hopeless, how am I going to manage? So what is it that will enable us to overcome the difficulties that life throws at us? What will enable us to continue to persevere and remain positive despite the continued difficulties posed by the threat of the Corona virus? I believe it is the same thing that enabled Jesus to overcome His temptations in the wilderness. The knowledge that no matter what, His Father loved Him. It was specifically at His baptism that Jesus received this assurance. Mark tells us that as Jesus went into the Jordan to be baptised by John, the heavens opened up and a voice spoke from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, I am pleased with Him.” Immediately the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to face forty days of testing and temptation from the evil one. As well as the company of the angels, I would suggest that it was the security of knowing that He was truly loved by God the Father, that enabled Jesus in His humanity to go through His wilderness ordeal. And it’s the same for us. When we were baptised and received into the community of God’s people, God our heavenly father said to us, “You are my dear child, I’m delighted with you.” But it’s not only at our baptism, but every day of our lives, God says to us, “You are my dear child, I love you.” Even if we’ve wandered far from God He still loves us and stands with open arms waiting for us to come home. It’s only when we really start to believe deep within our hearts that God loves us, no matter what, that we’ll have the confidence to face the problems that life throws at us. It’s only when we really start to trust that God loves us that we’ll find the security to live for Him no matter what other people think. And of course if we ever doubt God’s love we only have to look at the cross to know that the Father did not spare His own Son so that we might be made God’s friends. Are you in the middle of a wilderness experience? Lonely, desolate, disorientated. Are your circumstances unfamiliar causing you fear or threatening to harm you? Do you feel at a low ebb physically and emotionally, in pain or vulnerable to temptation? Do you ever think “How on earth can I stay the course in this Sahara of life?” One biblical scholar answers that question like this, “If we imagine that our God is a bully, an angry threatening parent ready to yell at us, slam the door on us, or kick us out into the street because we haven’t quite made the grade, we will fail at the first whisper of temptation. But if we remember the voice that spoke those powerful words of love, we will find the way through.” Hear again the words spoken to Jesus at His baptism, “You are my wonderful son, you make me very glad.” Now listen as God speaks them to you whatever your wilderness, “You are my wonderful child, I delight in you.” May the knowledge that God loves you deeply and has done since the day you were born, give you the assurance, courage and strength to carry on. 2 Love - The Power to make a difference: Not only are the Father’s words to Jesus at His baptism an encouragement to us, but they are also an example to be followed. If we realise that words of encouragement help us feel secure and to cope in the desserts of life, then we need to be encouragers of other people. We must never underestimate the power of love to rejuvenate a wilted spirit. Each of us through Christ has the power to love and by doing so we can make a real difference in the lives of others. The apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth fighting and divided over who possessed the greatest and most useful spiritual gifts says, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” In other words Paul says, “Loving God and loving each other is the most important thing. In fact it doesn’t matter what else you do or say, if you don’t really love people your life and witness will make no difference.” As I’ve meditated on the power of knowing God’s love to sustain in the midst of difficulty and sharing that love with others, I’ve asked myself, “Do I regularly tell Emma something that I appreciate about her?” Do I tell my children, “I love you” every day? Do the people in Arklow know that I care about them, that it thrills me to see them in church and that I appreciate all of their efforts? Does the way I treat people really show that I love them? Lee Shapiro is a retired judge. At one point in his career, he realised that love is the greatest power there is. As a result, Lee became a hugger. He began offering everybody a hug. His colleagues dubbed him ‘the hugging judge’. The bumper sticker on his car reads, “Don’t bug me! Hug me!” About six years ago Lee created what he calls his hugger kit. On the outside it reads, “A heart for hugs.” The inside contains thirty little red embroidered hearts with sticky backs. Lee will take out his hugger kit, go round to people and offer them a little red heart in exchange for a hug. One- day Lee’s friend Nancy showed up at his doorstep. Nancy is a professional clown and she was wearing her costume, make up and all. “Lee grab a bunch of your hugger kits and let’s go out to the home for the disabled.” When they arrived at the home they started giving out balloon hats, hearts and hugs to the residents. Lee was uncomfortable. He had never before hugged people who were terminally ill, severely retarded or quadriplegic. But after a while he found it easier as he and Nancy acquired an entourage of doctors, nurses and orderlies who followed them round the wards. After several hours they entered the last ward. These were 34 of the worst cases that Lee had seen in his life. The feeling was so grim it took his heart away. But out of their commitment to share their love and to make a difference, Nancy and Lee started working their way round the room followed by the medical staff. Finally Lee came to the last person, Leonard. Leonard was wearing a big white bib that he was drooling on. Lee looked at Leonard and said, “Let’s go Nancy, there’s no way we can get through to this person.” “Ah C’mon Lee,” Nancy replied. “He’s a fellow human being too isn’t he?” Then she placed a funny balloon hat on his head. Lee took one of his little red hearts and stuck it on Leonard’s bib. He took a deep breath, leaned down and gave Leonard a hug. All of a sudden Leonard began to squeal, “Eeeeh! Eeeeh!” Some of the other residents in the room began to clang things together. Lee turned to the staff for some sort of explanation only to find that every doctor, nurse and orderly was crying. Lee asked the head nurse, “What’s going on?” He will never forget what she said. “This is the first time in 23 years, we’ve seen Leonard smile.” Conclusion: When Jesus was baptised, His Heavenly Father said to him, “Son, you delight me!” It was this assurance of His Father’s love that enabled Jesus humanly to face His temptations in the wilderness. When you and I were born God said to us, “My wonderful child, you delight me!” When life becomes a wilderness remember that you are precious to your heavenly father, He will carry you through. If love is so powerful, then we need to love one another. I’m not suggesting we automatically become a hugger, but through our actions, our words and our attitudes we can love those we rub shoulders with. Mother Teresa said, “Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbour…Let no-one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting..” Go out and love this week. You’ll be amazed at the difference it will make in the lives of others. Prayer God of love we pray for those many people in our world who have been deprived of love, who feel unloved, or for whom love has been painful. Touch their hearts with the love of Christ. We pray for those for whom love has involved pain- those who have faced the trauma of breakdown in their marriage, or experienced the collapse of friendships or romantic engagements; those who have come from broken homes, or who have become estranged from family and friends; those whose children have moved away to begin new lives of their own, or whose parents have become frail, confused and infirm, those whose loved ones have been taken from them by death, or those who have been forced to leave those they count most dear. May the knowledge of your unending love be a constant source of comfort and inspiration Touch their hearts with the love of Christ. We pray for those who find it hard to love – those whose love has been betrayed, those who are scarred by bitter and painful experiences, those who have been subjected to abuse, those afraid of showing their true feelings, those oppressed by mental illness. Touch their hearts with the love of Christ. Loving God we bring before you the complex world of human relationships capable of bringing such joy but also such sorrow, so much pleasure yet so much pain. We thank you for your gift of love and all the love that surrounds us, but help us never to forget those who have lost love or been hurt through it. Restore their faith in what love can do, and help them both to find love and share it. Touch their hearts with the love of Christ. Grant to us all the knowledge that your love will never fail and never let us go. Thanks be to God, in Jesus’ name, Amen Closing Words It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on. As I said last Wednesday, we had hoped to reopen our church on the 5th of July but currently since only 50 people would be allowed to attend we have decided to wait until July 26th when 100 people will be allowed to attend. That way, we won’t have to turn anyone away, even if only 51 want to come. We will be sending all of you a letter by email shortly to let you know our plans, to enable you to sign our Covid 19 policy and to give you plenty of time to prepare for what will be a wonderful opportunity to meet together again for worship. I also want to say a big thank you for all your support and prayers for my mum who has been moved into hospice care in Belfast which means we are now able to see her. Please do remember my dad Ivan and my sister Karen and the whole family circle at this time. I hope you’ve enjoyed this taster and that you’ll continue to join me again on Sunday as we look deeper at what it really means to love as Christian people. To close today, let me lead you in a benediction after which I invite you as is our tradition, to say the grace together… Benediction May the beauty of God be reflected in your eyes, the love of God be reflected in your hands, the wisdom of God be reflected in your words, and the knowledge of God flow from your heart, that all might see, and seeing, believe And May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.”
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