Prevailing Winds "For the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom . . ." 2 Cor. 3:17, TNIV

October 15, 2008

Love. Love is Good.

Filed under: Uncategorized — keelyem @ 3:50 am

The Christian hymn “And They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love” proclaims that an unbelieving world will come to understand who we are as Christians by the love we show.

Sadly, many believers point out in John the Elder’s letters that others will know we are Christians by the love we show one another — other Christians. And that IS what his letters say.

However, I see no reference, in reading further, to the desirability of keeping ’em guessing by being unloving toward those who don’t identify as Christians. In fact, the rest of John’s letters extol the virtue of love, period, for Christ’s sake. There’s no escape clause in dealing with those outside the church, and I imagine the old apostle — the “disciple Jesus loved” — would be horrified to see how we often lavish our brethren with affection while pouring bile into the cups of those outside the church.

No one ought to have to come to Jesus Christ before benefiting from the love poured out by His people.

2 Comments »

  1. This post is probably off topic, given it does not address “love” in the context of Christian theology, but allow me this indulgence.

    I was reminded of Jane Siberry’s stunningly beautiful song, “Love Is Everything,” from the album “When I Was A Boy,” which was later sung by K. D. Laing on the album “Hymns of the 49th Parallel.” And given that Siberry is not as well known as her genius deserves, I feel compelled sometimes to promote her work.

    While the song is not explictly “religious” in a “mainstream” sense (even with the phrases “kindgom come” and “kneel down and say”), I find Siberry’s work to sometimes embody a profound sense of spirituality that hopefully all religious faiths (and everyone regardless of faith or not) could embrace. The lyrics do not come close to communicating the beauty of the song as she sings it…

    Siberry’s album “When I Was A Boy” does include “religious” themes, while, again, not declaring any particular religious faith, such as the song “Calling All Angels,” sung with K. D. Laing, and “The Gospel According To Darkness:”

    http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/lang-k-d/love-is-everything-jane-siberry-13489.html

    http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1100567/a/When+I+Was+A+Boy.htm

    “Love Is Everything” by Jane Siberry

    Maybe it was to learn how to love
    Maybe it was to learn how to leave
    Maybe it was for the games we played
    Maybe it was to learn how to choose
    Maybe it was to learn how to lose
    Maybe it was for the love we made

    Love is everything they said it would be
    Love made sweet and sad the same
    But love forgot to make me too blind to see
    You’re chickening out aren’t you?
    You’re bangin’ on the beach like an old tin drum
    I cant wait ’til you make
    The whole kingdom come
    So I’m leaving

    Maybe it was to learn how to fight
    Maybe it was for the lesson in pride
    Maybe it was the cowboys’ ways
    Maybe it was to learn not to lie
    Maybe it was to learn how to cry
    Maybe it was for the love we made

    Love is everything they said it would be
    Love did not hold back the reins
    But love forgot to make me too blind to see
    You’re chickening out aren’t you?
    You’re bangin’ on the beach like an old tin drum
    I cant wait ’til you make
    The whole kingdom come
    So I’m leaving

    First he turns to you
    Then he turns to her
    So you try to hurt him back
    But it breaks your body down
    So you try to love bigger
    Bigger still
    But it…it’s too late

    So take a lesson from the strangeness you feel
    And know you’ll never be the same
    And find it in your heart to kneel down and say
    I gave my love didn’t I?
    And I gave it big…sometimes
    And I gave it in my own sweet time
    I’m just leaving

    Love is everything…

    Jane Siberry
    ———————–
    Ted Moffett

    Comment by Ted Moffett — October 20, 2008 @ 6:16 pm

  2. It’s “K. D. Lang” not “Laing.”

    I had to correct that glaring mistake…

    Ted Moffett

    Comment by Ted Moffett — October 20, 2008 @ 6:58 pm

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