Nathan gets it. His momma has been home with the flu all week, so she couldn’t come to worship on Ash Wednesday. Before he left the church after worship, Nathan made sure that he had some ashes to go in a little communion cup, so that she wouldn’t miss out on this important church day. It was his way of saying, “I love you.”
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of our 40-day Lenten journey toward Easter and is a day when we confront the reality that we will die. As part of my reflection on Joel 2 (2:1-2, 12-17) and Matthew 6 (6:1-6, 16-21), I said that “I’ll never get used to the death-related aspects of my job. While I have the opportunities to be part of all sorts of exciting life-giving and powerful moments – baptisms and weddings, worship and concerts, Sunday morning learning and weekday Bible studies, BBQs, visiting newborns at the hospital, dreaming and visioning and so much more – much of my time is spent hovering in the circumference of death and dying moments.
Little ones who are ailing, marriages that are decaying, downward spirals of addiction, family hurting family, friends betraying friends, and the heavy burdens that come with words like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and stroke, not to mention end-of-life farewells. Not all of them are a literal death, but there is frequently a dagger to the heart of joy and hope. Some days it is too much to bear.
In reality, it isn’t just me facing down all of these things. You are too. We’re all in this together.”
What a gift it is to be able to love people. God created us in love, for love. Sometimes it can be terribly hard, bordering on unbearable, but we are blessed to share the journey with others.
This Lenten season, we’ll be exploring Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages and what they looked like in the life of Christ. Chapman suggests that we all give/receive love using our primary language(s). The Five Love Languages are Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, Physical Touch. Until we understand one another’s love language, we are missing communicating and connecting with each other.
Jesus knew what type of love each person needed and loved them perfectly. He offered words of encouragement and affirmation to the Centurion saying, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith” and told his disciples and the crowd that they were his family.
To others, he stuck around a little extra, giving them the quality time that they needed, including a deep investment in his disciples by living, working, and sharing with them for three years.
Jesus was also a phenomenal gift giver. He gave the hungry crowd on the hillside more than they could eat, power and authority to his disciples, and restored life to his friend Lazarus. Each was a gift of love.
Washing his disciples’ feet and healing the man born blind, Jesus showed his love through acts of service, not to mention that he willingly laid down his life for you and for me.
When Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them, he was telling them of his great love, just as he did when he saw Simon’s mother-in-law lying ill and “took her by the hand and lifted her up – the fever left her.” Physical touch was central to his ministry.
How does Jesus meet and love you? How do you experience the presence of God in this community and the world? Little Nathan might not know his mom’s love language, but that doesn’t stop him from loving.
XOXO!
Pastor Lowell
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