Love

Love
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:35

 A few months ago, before he departed for Memphis, John Foster recommended a book to me. The book is Life in the Negative World, by Aaron M. Renn. I bought it (of course; I have a terrible addiction, you know). I have been slowly plowing my way through it during my morning quiet times. I have found this book to be both fascinating and somewhat terrifying. Mr. Renn addresses ways that the Church may have to adapt to the times in which we live—what he calls the negative world, wherein Christianity is not viewed positively or even neutrally, but with active hostility and negativity. Yes, sadly, in modern American culture, evangelical Christians have become the bad guys.
 
Mr. Renn does not suggest that we compromise our beliefs or the mandates of Scripture; rather, he suggests that we find new ways to live out our faith and our belief in the inspired and infallible nature of the Bible that will be relatable and useful in the world around us. It is an encouraging book. This is not a hopeless time for Christians in the United States. Actually, it is a time of great opportunity. The fields are ripe unto harvest, for sure, in our time. Those folks we call Gen Z are returning to church. They have grown up in a chaotic world that, in spite of (or maybe because of) cell phones and computers, is in many ways more disconnected than it has ever been. They are hungry for the real.
 
But in the end, no matter how we analyze it or mull it over or write about it, people young and old need what they have always needed: love. I know how that sounds. I know it’s corny and schmaltzy and simplistic. My guess is that at least a few of you rolled your eyes when you read it. But it’s still true. You know there are a lot of people out there who still watch reruns of “The Andy Griffith Show” and “The Brady Bunch” and even “Leave it to Beaver,” right? Why do you think that is? Well, the folks of Mayberry always had each other’s backs. The Brady kids argued a lot, but they also stood up for each other and even sacrificed for each other. Even as a little kid myself, I always suspected that Beaver Cleaver wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but his parents were patient and loved him in spite of his shenanigans. As hokey and admittedly unrealistic as those shows are, they are essentially shows about people who love each other. And we like that, even if we don’t want to admit it.
 
Mr. Renn uses an interesting word in his book: pre-evangelism. He references the widely controversial “He Gets Us” ad campaign. One of the objections of many evangelicals to these ads is that they don’t really share or explain the gospel. Which is true, but it’s because that isn’t what they are trying to do. They are simply trying to teach people about who Jesus is, to introduce Him in a new way, because until people have at least some understanding of who He is, they are not ready to hear about what He did.
 
For us, for CPC, I think pre-evangelism looks a lot like the Fall Festival and VBS and Community Breakfasts and all the rest. They are ways to love people, aren’t they? And when we love people, we are imitating Christ, which is what He calls us to do. This, says Jesus Himself, is how people will know we are His disciples. CPC is not a perfect church. But as imperfect as we are, we do a pretty good job of loving each other. Like the citizens of Mayberry, we have each other’s backs. Like the Brady kids, we may squabble from time to time, but in the end we care more about each other than we care about ourselves—usually. And like Beaver, we don’t always do the smartest things (at least, I don’t), but in the end we are a pretty forgiving bunch.
 
When we love each other, people see it; and it spills out into the community and the world around us. And in that, maybe, just maybe, folks will catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. It might not be a perfect image, but one thing we can always do is to love. We can love each other and the world around us, and give people a glimmer of hope that there is something more. If we can help even one person grasp that, we are doing something right, just by loving. It isn’t very complicated, and honestly, it isn’t really very hard. Just…love.
 
Peace.