The Vine: Feb. 3, 2025
“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”
This is a weekly reflection on the previous week’s sermon text. Each week there will be a devotional related to the scripture for the week, along with questions for reflection/discussion, as well as prayer. Feel free to make this a part of your individual spiritual growth throughout the week or utilize in small group settings (growth groups, Sunday school, etc.)
“But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see only a reflection, as in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.”
It’s hard to know precisely what Paul means when he says love is greater than hope and faith. He makes the statement and leaves it to us to think it through. It may be that love, compared to faith and hope, describes the very heart of God and the body of Christ.
In chapter 12, Paul presents his image of the Christian community as a body. Just as a body comprises many parts, so does the Christian community, which involves many people working together. Each part of the community is honored and uplifted.
Paul discusses how each ministry works together for the good of the whole. Finally, everything holds together through the empowering work of love. Love transforms us. Love flows through us.
In English, our definition of love is a junk drawer. We throw all our definitions of love into it. I love my family, I love BBQ, and I love Texas. The Greek word agape is the word Paul uses for love throughout this scripture. In the New Testament, other definitions for love are Eros, for romantic or intimate love, and Phileo, for familial love. Agape is a unique type of love. The word describes the selfless, sacrificial manner of love, seen primarily in God’s love toward his creation. We don’t always see this type of love lived out in this world. We see selfishness, pride, greed, and all kinds of brokenness. It can make us wonder if love is even at work.
Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” When we love another person, we display God’s character, which Jesus lived out daily. We are never more Christ-like than when we love his creations. Because love alone is of God, it is the greatest of all virtues. We can be the love the world needs.
Prayer:
Loving God,
We come before you today, humbled by the immensity of your love, a love that surpasses even faith and hope. We confess that our understanding of love is often limited, a cluttered "junk drawer" of emotions and fleeting affections. We use the same word for our favorite food as we do for the deepest connections in our lives.
Forgive us, Lord, when we fall short of this agape love. Forgive us for the selfishness, pride, and greed that so often cloud our vision and break down our relationships. We live in a world that often seems devoid of your love, a world filled with brokenness and pain. It can be hard to see your hand at work.
Yet, we cling to the promise that your love has been poured into our hearts. Help us to let that love flow through us, transforming us into vessels of your grace. When we love others, we reflect your character, we become more like Jesus. Help us to be the love the world so desperately needs. Help us to embody love in our actions, our words, and our thoughts.
In the name of Jesus, Amen
Questions for Reflection:
1.) How does the understanding of "agape love" as described by Paul differ from understandings of love in contemporary English, and what are the implications of this difference for Christian living?
2.) Given Paul's description of the Christian community as a body, how does "agape love" function as the unifying force that holds this body together, and how does it empower individuals within the community?
3.) How does the experience of receiving God's "agape love" through the Holy Spirit shape and motivate Christians to love others sacrificially, and what are the tangible expressions of this love in everyday life?
4.) This week, look through the lens of love in this scripture. When you watch TV or read new articles, do you or do you not see this love in action? Be on the lookout for this love at work in the world.
PREVIOUS WEEKS
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