The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
…the example of love is prefigured here in Christ with the leper. For here you see how love makes him a servant , so that he helps the poor man freely and for nothing, seeks neither pleasure, favor, nor honor thereby, but only the good of the poor man and the honor of God the father. For which reason he also forbids him to tell anyone, so that it be absolutely pure work of free, kindly love.
I think this kind of unbound love is rare. To risk and act for the welfare of another…just because of our love which attempts to bind together the separated and estranged…is too often set within stories of “make-believe.” So…that must mean that what we are invited to do is to “make-believe” that Christ does dwell among us and participate in the love we express today. In that way, we are not simply left sitting and thinking about a love, rather we stand in the middle of it. We become instruments of a love that loves without condition and without the need for recognition or honor. That may take some grand “make-believing” but it is well within the Reign of Christ’s rule of love and peace.
Connection: For free….love for free…love unbound by all the strings. We can wait for it to happen to us or we can risk the adventure of following in Jesus’ steps.
By your love, O God, you lead us into a realm of human life that far transcends any plan for the day we try to manufacture or manipulate. By your grace, move our hearts to a new experience of your loving presence. Amen
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