Thursday, January 31, 2013

Violent Love - Rights


This is the definition of rights:  “In accordance with what is just, good, or proper.“ The problem is that our world is often confused as to how to decide these things. If you throw out good, and only focus on just and proper—well, many people differ on this. Some of the hot button issues for Christians are:  abortion or co-habitation. These issues have people who approve a view opposite the Christian stand insisting that this is more proper or just.  The term just is most often defined as fair. Fair is something different all together. Because fair is not really that obvious.  Regardless, people stand on both sides fighting and getting offended.  While the fight for life and marriage is nothing to gloss over, how can we speak to people so against us and so adamant about their view of right, just, proper, or even good.

            Don’t worry! We aren’t going to get political, but we can’t deny what our people and world are facing. The recent shootings have propelled us into discussions about the value of life, and gun control. It also has brought our kids into more awareness for their well-being. All of a sudden more safety precautions are taking place, and because of that, people are asking questions. So what do we do? Do we stand by idly while our Facebook, email, and television get bombarded with the question or should we address it? For the next four weeks we will talk about Violent Love.

            Violent Love is a response to how, in the last several weeks, we have discussion after discussion on gun violence. How do we show Violent Love, an extreme or intense love to people struggling with a truly violent world? How do we respond to tragedies we can’t explain? How do we deal with four different areas that might be on our minds like rights, fear of death, protection, and evil? These will be the topics in the next four weeks as we learn how to respond to this violent world in love.

            This week we focus on rights and what is good or proper. All of this plays into our view of love.  We begin in 1 John 1 as we see God define us, and help us to love others. Jesus’ true rights belonged in His true home—Heaven. Yet He gave them up to be with us and to love us in a way that would rescue us forever. Jesus’ violent love changed this world forever because of the way He took on the earth’s violence, and showed His intense love to people. Violent Love means growing in the intense love of Jesus.

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