In our divided world, God calls us to love . . . to be people of compassion. Our active love makes God visible to others. “We love:” 1st John says, “because God loved us first.” I John 4:19

Love is the nature of God. One of the first Bible verses we teach small children is, “God is Love.” I John 4:8         The writer of I John wanted people to remember that we are loved by God. We were loved by God before we ever heard of God. Love is a natural response to being loved. Love changes us. It smoothes the rough edges, softens the heart, allowing us to be loving people.

When Christians can’t or don’t love each other in this era of deep political differences, we are telling the world that we don’t take our faith seriously. We are saying, through our actions and words, that we don’t take Jesus seriously either.

We know what we’re suppose to be doing, but how do we love on our bad days? How do we love, when nothing in us wants to be a loving person? How do we love when the other person represents the opposite of everything we value? We get upset with people who don’t act or think the way we want them to. We try to love, get angry and say words we ought not to say. Tempers flare. There are days we know we love God, but we’re not so sure about those other people, who call themselves Christians.

Jesus knew how hard this would be. When he gathered his disciples just before he was crucified, he told them, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5        We fail, we fall and we try again to love. Not in our own power, but as we abide in the presence of Jesus.

Abiding in the vine connects us to Jesus and each other. Dwelling in the presence of Christ grounds us. As we dwell in Christ’s presence we are given the grace we need to be God’s people in this world. Resting in the presence of Jesus, keeps us connected to the source of love, grace and power to love.

We begin to see the world the way God sees it, recognizing each person as one of divine worth. The obnoxious neighbor, may still be obnoxious, but we see that person’s hurts and know they need our love. The hungry and homeless refugees aren’t just faces on our screens, but our brothers and sisters whose tears and pain we share, who need our generosity.

To love so deeply and expansively, is not easy. Yet it is the vision God gives us, of the Kingdom already begun and the hope God calls us to.