This blog post originally appeared on December 9, 2018.
“Do everything in love.” (1 Cor 16:14)
The term “love” gets thrown around a lot in today’s culture. We hear the word so much that it’s lost its meaning. Recently, one of my friends recently explained the reason for this: we have only one word in the English language to express the deep, abiding feeling that love brings. We use the word “love” to describe how we feel about cheeseburgers, our families, and our hobbies, among other things.
The Greek language has at least six distinct words for love. Each of the six words represents a different type of love: philautia, the love of oneself; pragma, the type of love two people show when they’ve been married a long time; storge, the love between parents and children; philia, brotherly love or the love found between friends; eros, romantic love; and agape, the deepest, most abiding type of love which describes the love of God for his children. The New Testament was written in Greek, so the writers of those books would have had these definitions in mind while they wrote.
Christ coming to earth as a baby in the manger is agape love personified. He couldn’t feed or clothe himself, and he had to rely on his earthly parents to meet his basic, physical needs as well as his emotional needs. He loved us so much that he was willing to become like us to bridge the gap between here and eternity.
When we place our love and trust in him, he absolves us of our sins. He has showed us how we are to love others: with a sacrificial, agape love that puts the needs of others above ourselves. This is not something we can accomplish on our own. Just as Jesus died, we too must die to ourselves: “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me’” (Lk 9:23). This means we put others and their needs above ourselves.
This Christmas season, we should look to Jesus for our example of how to treat people. Whether we’re waiting in long lines, passing a homeless man on the street, or facing a difficult family gathering, we should remember how we want to be treated. Each day, we encounter people who need God’s love. People feel love when they feel seen and acknowledged. Instead of rushing by people on our way to finish the next errand, we should slow down and notice those around us. Acknowledge a stranger with a smile. Hold the door for someone. Speak kindly to the frazzled clerk ringing up your purchases. By relying on God’s strength, we can step outside of our comfort zone to show his love to those we encounter, not just at Christmas but all through the year.
Dear Jesus, thank you for your agape love that led you to give your life for us. Thank you for this free gift that we didn’t earn, but simply have to receive. Show us how to share your love with others in a way that connects with them. Amen.