Love All

Love All – really? No way.

Love All is the final sermon/point in the Advent Conspiracy series/book. I understand “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” (Jn 3:16). But, I’m not God. I don’t know that many people – how can I love those I don’t know? Is it even honest to say I love those I don’t know? And, more importantly, where does God tell me to love all?

Please don’t give me the “love your enemies,” (Mt 22:20) and “love your neighbor” (Mt 5:43) teachings. I know my neighbors and I wish I could forget my enemies. Somehow God can help me love them both. But, love all?

This Christmas season, the church office has been flooded with calls from unemployed single moms and dads who need help. If love is an action, how can I help them all? I can help a child through Compassion.com, and poverty in Haiti for a few. I can help a family or two who can’t have Christmas this year. But, I can’t help all the 3900 kids who will die due to dirty water tomorrow, or the hundreds of thousands of homeless in Haiti, or even all those who have called the church office for help with Christmas (well, maybe, but JoLynn wants to keep our house). Loving all is overwhelming.

I’m not sure how to teach this lesson on Sunday except to say - I can’t love all. That’s a God-sized task. Jesus can, He is God. That is why He was able to die for the sins of the entire planet. I can’t, I’m not. As Christ lives in me, in my attitude, I can love all, and in my actions love some. I hope and pray I’m not coping out.

Loving some,

Dan