Over the past few weeks, our pastor has nourished us with a banquet of scripture on the Love of God. If you haven’t taken the time to listen to his latest sermons, you owe it to yourself to do so. This agape love is so much deeper than our human efforts – startling and challenging. Even Shakespeare could see it, for in spite of all the enemy does to obliterate the love of God, it shines through in our world.
Would you believe it? Will himself wrote about agape love. Look at this piece of Sonnet 116:
“Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O, no! It is an ever fixed mark
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken”
Here is just one verse that our pastor shared from Ephesians 3:
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Agape Love. Covenant Love. Calvary Love. The Life of God poured out for us We can know it; we can live in it. A church living in love. Think of it – filled with the fullness of God! Jesus reminds us:
“ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
WHY LEAVE HEAVEN?Most of us are familiar with Isaiah 9:6-7; it’s a favorite Christmas text. But notice that the passage starts with the word “for”. What is the “for” for? Let’s take a listen to the words of the Lord through Isaiah, reaching across some 700 years of time into the chaos of our world.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this. (Is. 9:5-7 NIV)
I don’t have to remind you that we on this planet are at war, war with each other, war with a world order that threatens to drain the life out of us, even war with ourselves. The Prince of Darkness spreads hate and misery everywhere. But his days are numbered. The day that the Prophet spoke about is coming. No more need for warrior’s boots, no more bloodshed, for unto us a CHILD is born! Our Prince of Peace is coming back, not as a tiny baby confined to a manger, but as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
May the Prince of Peace speak Peace to your hearts tonight, even in