Just as Advent hope, peace, and joy are all actions that we embody to resist the powers and principalities and empires that oppose God’s intentions for the world, so also, we resist with love.
These days, the idea of love is complicated. We “love” all sorts of things. Pizza, cats, podcasts. Spouses, children, friends. We love big ideas. Democracy, freedom, justice. As Christians we are called to love God, “…with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”1 And “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no greater commandment than these.”2
Love God. Love neighbor. Love yourself. What does this love that we are commanded to do look like? How is love expressed in our lives, as individuals and as community members?
The love that Jesus calls us to is not passive. It isn’t merely a feeling. The love Jesus calls us to is active. It is love that doesn’t excuse or ignore injustice. The love Jesus calls us to, requires us to act to make the world better for everyone. Loving God means we must love as God loves, love the things God loves, love the people God loves.
Saget, Father George. Visit of Mary to Elizabeth, from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
Luke’s nativity story gives us glimpses of love as resistance. On a personal level, the story is filled with love. Elizabeth and Zechariah, in spite of barrenness that could have destroyed love. Mary and Joseph, in spite of an irregular pregnancy that could have destroyed love. Elizabeth and Mary, supporting and loving each other through challenging circumstances. Both sets of parents loving their babies, knowing that each child has been given dangerous, world altering tasks.
The story is filled with songs, songs of justice and love. Songs by Mary and Zechariah, and the angels and Simeon, that tell about God’s care- God’s love which is expressed as justice for those who are oppressed and unloved by society.
From start to finish in the story God acts out of love for God’s people- as a community and as individuals. Read it again, and notice the ways that God’s love is expressed through God’s justice.3
Dr. Cornel West has said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.”4
Loving God and loving our neighbor is the crucial orientation, the crucial grounding as we resist all that would stand in the way of God’s justice. The work of justice must be grounded in love. As we work for justice, we need to be vigilant and attentive to our own hearts. It is hard to keep to the path of love. The path is narrow. It’s easy to retaliate when others name call and mock. It’s easy to be tempted to take shortcuts when others skirt the law. It’s easy to fall into a “they did it first” mentality that can be used to justify poor behavior on our part. The temptation to demonize and dehumanize others is always present, especially if others use it as a tactic. It is especially tempting if those tactics seem to work in the short term. If we are not careful we become acclimated, we adapt and adjust and adopt the tactics of those who would oppose God’s justice.
But to love as God loves means we can’t do those things. Not only can we not do them, Jesus requires us to go a step farther. Jesus requires us to love our enemies. Following Jesus requires us to work for the Shalom, the flourishing of everyone. Even those who oppose our work for justice. Even those who consider themselves our enemies. This is hard. It’s hard when people we love are targets. It’s hard not to hate those who hate. It’s hard not to be intolerant of the intolerant. It’s hard not to respond to force and coercion with force force and coercion.
Yet, we are called to love. We love because God first loved us. The love of God is embodied by admittedly failable people. But having experienced God’s love and knowing that nothing can separate us from God’s love, we have an idea about how to love. We have the example of Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Love is Advent resistance that hopes and longs for God’s justice and peace. And that love, God’s love will not fail.
- Mark 12:29 ↩︎
- Mark 12:31 ↩︎
- https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=601821074 ↩︎
- quote from Dr. Cornell West. I was unable to find an original source for this quote. One place he did write it was, here. ↩︎
Discover more from Conversation in Faith
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Conversation in Faith 