Love is what conquers

a verse or two

“[Love] does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Cor. 13 v 5-7

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Love is what conquers – not expressions of hate.

An expression of hate was committed this week when a pastor in the US burned a copy of the Koran. It was foolish and bigoted. It was totally wrong and it did cause deaths in Afghanistan no matter what the pastor claims. Did he not know how Muslims revere their holy book – so much so that it’s never to be placed below their knees? Do Christians have the same reverence for the Word of God when Bibles collect dust, or they use a translation with 1611 English where the words are so out of date they have different meanings and parts no longer make sense?

This Lent, consider Christ’s journey to the cross. After Palm Sunday he cleared out the temple. What would he do today – would he burn a Koran? No! But he might enter a church and burn some Bibles. Why? Because people have used the Bible to justify harm and wrong actions. Because some people have made a lot of money out of selling Bibles (and in turn sometimes made the Bible more complicated than it needs to be). Because too often people have nice looking Bibles and all they do is collect dust – and so the living word becomes dead. Because some people carry their Bible around to look ‘spiritual’ yet don’t connect with the author.

When we read the Bible, it’s not to just read it and so do the ‘right thing’ or look religious and all that. It’s to connect to the author of life, it’s to have The Father wrap his loving arms around us and say he loves us. It’s to sit at the feet of Jesus – the word become flesh / the living word – and let him disciple us.

Back to the sin of expressions of hate. When at university I had a Muslim friend. On matters of faith, we both agreed that each other was deceived, so therefore correctly we did not patronise each other by suggesting that the two religions were the same. But in saying to each other ‘I believe you are deceived’, we also respected each other’s differences. There was no animosity and we could sit down together and share a meal together. I hope in the way I conducted myself, he saw a little bit of Christ.

Love is the conqueror – not expressions of hate. When Christ died on the cross, he wasn’t arguing that he was the truth. Instead knowing he was the truth he surrendered and cried Father forgive. It would have been much better if that US pastor had said to the Muslim community that he loved them, and instead of burning their holy book, tell them plainly and kindly he believed they were deceived and yet make an offer of practical help from his church to their community.

Something to do: Be Christ to someone.

Befriend someone of a different faith (that is easy because most people are not Christian). Don’t preach to them but rather show them you love them by what you do rather than what you say.

To Ponder and Pray: A prayer by Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582)

Lord, I am not yet ready for you to have your way with me -
but I am willing to be made willing.