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February 14, 2025
Beloved Siblings in Christ,
As we enter the month of February, love is everywhere. Stores are filled with Valentine’s Day cards, roses, and heart-shaped chocolates. We see love celebrated in many forms—romantic love, familial love, and even the brotherly love that gives our great city of Philadelphia its name (and fuels our passion for the Eagles—Go Birds!).
But the love that Scripture calls us to is something even deeper. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, reminds us that faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). This is not romantic love or even the camaraderie we share with those close to us. Paul speaks of Agape love—a love that is steadfast, selfless, and sacrificial. A love that binds us together even when the world tries to pull us apart.
What I have witnessed over the last few weeks is that in our country, we struggle to agree on what it means to love our neighbor. For some, love looks like reducing government spending to create space for individual generosity and responsibility. For others, love looks like investing in programs that care for the most vulnerable among us. These differing perspectives can drive us apart, making it difficult to find common ground.
This is precisely why we must return to love. Love that does not insist on its own way. Love that is patient and kind, that does not envy or boast, that is not arrogant or rude (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). Love that compels us to see the image of God in one another, even when we disagree. Love that tears down walls instead of building them higher.
This is also why we need our Love Revolution to help people Love God and Love Neighbor. This revolution is helping participants discover this spring ways in which they “hear God’s word and share in the Lord’s Supper” as they continue to explore the baptismal covenant that connects us all. As they explore “hear,” they will discover new and diverse voices that speak faith in new ways and from new perspectives. They will also explore their own spiritual practices and learn ways they can invite others into ways of discovering God’s love active in the world.
Gungor’s song People of God puts it beautifully:
Love never fails, it never dies
There is no deeper truth
We know that God is love,
Our God is love
People of God, rise up
Rise up and shine God’s love
We are the light of the world.
So, dear siblings, how do we rise up? How do we radiate the love of God in all that we do? How can we be a people known not for our divisions, but for the way we care for one another? As the Church, we are called to be a light in the darkness, a beacon of hope, a living witness to the love of Christ.
May this month be an opportunity for us to rise up and radiate love—the love that never fails, the love that holds us together, the love that reveals God’s presence in the world.
In Christ’s abiding love, |
