The Unravelling, Where is the Love?

As the Christmas lights begin to twinkle and sound of our children begin to permeate spaces during the day when they would usually be at school, it should lift our spirits. We’ve thought about Hope, Peace, and Joy, and this Sunday we consider Love once again. As much as we might think about ‘Love’ it continues to prove profoundly mysterious, and yet it seems woven into the very fabric of our beings. I suppose this is why when we lose people, there is such an outpouring of emotion that carries both grief and love.

I’ve had another uncle pass away, an elder in my Tokelau/Tuvalu community, we buried him on Friday. We had one of our beautiful women of St George’s, Rosaleen Knell pass away also this week, her funeral will be held at St George’s on Tuesday 23rd Dec at 11:00am. Both were people of faith, my uncle was 95, and lived a life devoted to God, church and family. Rosaleen also lived a life of service and at 91 continued to make an effort to worship with us whenever she could.

In times of loss, we probably yearn for rest and for joy, but it can feel like things are unravelling. The headlines remind us the tragedy at Bondi Beach, and we are left searching for meaning in the face of senseless violence. There’s a song that was extremely popular over 20 years ago, maybe not a genre of music that would resonate with most of you, but it begins with the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” and the chorus ends with another question, “Where is the love?”

As Christians, even though we ourselves might sit in this tension of a world that seems to be unravelling, we might be reminded of the gift of Love, given to us freely, but with the power to provide peace in the midst of loss and tragedy. We are reminded in 1 John 4 to “…love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” Let us be reminded that Love isn't just a feeling, it’s a reflection of God's very nature within us.

This Advent season says, “this is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” It might seem trite to say, but love can conquer all, and scripture was quite explicit in saying that God is Love. God sent Jesus who is a gift of Love to us, our comfort and our ultimate hope in a world that always seems to be in a state of unravelling. We will consider Love this Sunday, with 1 John 4:7-12 as a focus.

May the Love of the Lord be with you.

Josh