Unwrapping Advent: Through Voices of Wisdom Dec. 23
Monday, December 23, 2024
Day 23
16 I ask that he strengthen you in your inner selves
from the riches of his glory through the Spirit.
17 I ask that Christ will live in your hearts through faith.
As a result of having strong roots in love,
18 I ask that you’ll have the power to grasp
love’s width and length, height and depth,
together with all believers.
19 I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ
that is beyond knowledge so that
you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God.
20 Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond
all that we could ask or imagine
by his power at work within us;
21 glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus
for all generations, forever and always. Amen.
Ephesians 3:16-21 CEB
Empowering Love
As I sit writing this, I am planning one of the most pivotal and meaningful moments of my life. By the time you read this, I will be married to a person who I never imagined and have experienced a love as deep as it is wide. While I have found love abundantly, whispered in silence and shouted from the mountaintops, and as wonderful as it is to bask in this glorious, faith-filled love that seems to radiate in every moment of my relationship with Sarah, I cannot claim that it is new, and I am so incredibly glad that it is not.
Reading this verse, I am reminded of an Irish proverb published in a cookbook my mom gave me for Christmas a few years ago: “It is easy to halve a potato when there is love.” When I first read it, I was filled with a sense of deep hope and longing. I thought of a parent and a child, or two spouses, sharing the last that they had.
So often we see and encounter love within our own microcosm, the kind of love spent with those closest to you, your spouse, children, parents, other family, or close friends. We know what love is and we know what it means to give selflessly. With family, we are wired to sacrifice. As the proverb says, it’s easy to give when we love, but how and who should we love? What is the width and length, height and depth of love? We can so often unconsciously build floodgates to hold the love in, allowing it to fill the space around us, but inadvertently putting limits on what God gives freely.
While I think first of Sarah when I think of love, the truth is I have loved and received love from God, from my family, from friends, from my community, from the students I teach, and from the teens I lead in Youth Group. I can name dozens of individual teachers, mentors, friends’ parents, and collogues who have poured love into me throughout my life.
In this letter to the Church of Ephesus, Paul outlines what it means to live in God’s glory, and it begins and ends with love. He suggests that it is rooted in faith and stretches beyond knowledge. How amazing is that! As many people as I can name who have shown me love and that I have loved, it does not end there. And as deep as I could imagine loving Sarah, I still cannot fathom the bottom. It would be too easy to read this verse, think of those we love the most, feel warm and fuzzy, and go home thinking better of ourselves. That would be too easy. Paul’s letters were never that simple.
In this verse the Greek word used for love is “agape,” often depicted as the kind of love God has for each of us. Agape is unconditional selfless affection and goodwill. When Paul wrote these lines, he was calling the Church in Ephesus to recognize and practice the full height, width, and depth of love, not just for their family, but for all of God’s children.
What would it look like if we showed agape towards all of those around us, as God calls? What if we showed agape to the poor widow tossing her last coins in an alms basket? The friends tearing apart foundations to get their friend the medical assistance they need to live a full life. A young boy offering up his lunch to feed a crowd? Or maybe splitting your last boiled potato with a neighbor.
I hope I never am down to my last potato, but I expect to share every one of my “lasts” with Sarah. However, I pray that God fills me with a faith that cannot and will not stop there. I pray that God fills me with a love that will never have a “last.” One that when halved, leaves two wholes just as big as the one I started with. I pray that God fills me with a love so deep that I share everything I have with my students, my church family, and every person that walks through my door.
Reflect: Who have you loved or who has loved you that you have not noticed? Who have we left outside of our floodgates? What is the “potato” you can halve with them?
Pray: Loving God, Let Your foundation anchor me in the spirit of Your love. Open my floodgates to allow the fullness of love to flow through me. Open my eyes to see those who need to experience Your love and give me the courage to share what I have been given. Amen.
Jeremy Kincaid
Trustee
Youth and Young Adults