April 2, 2014 Love One Another by Mary Wurl

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:7-8 (New International Version)

I grew up in a time and place where memorizing the Bible was a priority. From individual verses to entire chapters, always in the King James Version, we hid the words of scripture in our hearts, just like the Psalmist. By the time I was raising my own children, memorization had gone out of vogue, it seems. One way I countered that trend was to buy a couple of cassette tapes we could listen to in the car, each with an assortment of Bible verses set to catchy tunes. I’m not sure if the kids ever learned them, but they are still running through my head today.

One of my favorites featured the text from I John 4:7-8, a memorable message with King James words set to a cha-cha beat. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  [They] that loveth not –cha-cha-cha – knoweth  not God; for God is love. Beloved, let us love one another. First John four: seven and eight. Cha-cha-cha. First John four: seven and eight.” (Listen on YouTube)

The verses that follow these in I John 4 give us a pretty complete description of God and love:  how God’s love is shown (⁹God sent Jesus into the world that we might live through him), what it promises (¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…), how we must respond (²¹Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister), and what it means if we are unable or unwilling to love (²⁰Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.)

That catchy little song, drawn out to its final conclusion, is some pretty serious stuff. It sounds even more serious in the first person: If I claim to love God, and hate my brother or sister, I am a liar. Try setting that to a cha-cha rhythm. 

But as intimidating as that might sound, God does not want us to be afraid, and promises, ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that God loved us. During Lent, as we remember Jesus’ life and death, we are reminded that we have received God’s perfect love. In return, beloved, let us love one another.