Read Acts 27-28
How do you know when love is real?
That was what Ed Keefer and John Hawley tried to figure out in the 1930s when, as engineering students at the University of Toledo in Ohio, they invented the Cupidoscope. The goal of this device was to reveal whether a couple was really in love with scientific accuracy. As you might expect, the Cupidoscope seemed more like a gimmick than anything else. It only perhaps revealed just how hard it is to measure love, whether we are talking about romantic love, familial love, or loving friendship. We still find ourselves wondering how to know when love is real.
In his book The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis says that real love is costly. Building on Lewis’ idea we might say that if we are to know if love is real, it would have to be sacrificial in nature. This brings to mind the words of the Apostle John, when he writes: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). The love of God is displayed in Jesus’ sacrificial life given for us. Jesus is the king of love.
When we read the book of Acts in our New Testament we see a group of people so overcome by the love of God revealed in Christ that they, too, begin to live like Jesus on earth. This is not something they have to do, but something they get to do. As they are caught up in the uncontrollable current of the Holy Spirit’s work, they are invited into the privilege of joining God’s love-birthed mission on earth. Paul the Apostle is one of those clearly caught up in the love of God in Christ. He is so overcome by God’s love that he begins to live with sacrificial love for others. We see that vividly here in the last two chapters of Acts where, amid shipwrecks and snakebites, accusations and arrests, Paul witnesses to the love of God again and again with his own self-giving love. Greatly loved, Paul greatly loves.
May we see and be changed by the sacrificial, saving love of God in Jesus our Messiah. And may we, like Paul, be caught up in the current until our love, too, looks increasingly like that of Jesus, the king of love.
For Reflection:
- Each Sunday we include discussion questions on the sermon insert that can be used for deeper reflection and/or small group discussions. Take time to read through those questions today. You can find a digital version online at eastbrook.org/JesusKingofNations.
by Pastor Matt Erickson
Family Talk: Week 4
Jesus, King of Love
Just about everyone has a storm story—a survival story about a thunderstorm, a blizzard, or even a tornado. Just this past summer, many parts of Milwaukee were flooded. Do you remember that night in August? Maybe your own basement was flooded? Maybe your neighborhood lost power for a time?
Paul had a storm story, too, his happened while he was on board a ship! Paul was on his way to Rome, where he would stand trial before Caesar. In Bible times, that meant crossing the Mediterranean Sea. It was a long journey during autumn when the winds were dangerously strong. One night, a full-blown storm battered the ship. The sailors even wound ropes around the ship to help it stay together, and tossed extra cargo overboard to make it lighter.
The storm went on for days, but in the middle of it all, God gave Paul assurance that everyone on board would survive. Paul used this message to help the passengers and crew to be brave and not lose hope. He also encouraged them to eat to keep up their strength. The next morning, the ship struck a sandbar, and began to fall apart! The sailors and passengers swam for the beach, even while floating on broken parts of the ship! Everyone reached land safely—just as God had told Paul.
When we’re scared, it’s easy to think only about our own survival, but Paul put others’ needs first. Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit, who was loving others through his words and actions. In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul told the people to love each other, as Christ had loved them. He wrote: “None of you should look out just for your own good. Each of you should also look out for the good of others” (Philippians 2:4). Paul then described how Jesus left the glory of heaven to become a baby who would grow up to do the most loving thing ever—to die for everyone else’s sin.
At Christmas, we see God’s love on full display in the birth of Jesus. God’s mission of love is still carried on today—through you and me. Like Paul, we take God’s love into the world through our words and actions.
FAmily Storytelling:
- Parents: When has someone shown you the love of Christ during a time when you were scared?
- Kids: During the Christmas season, can you think of someone who needs to know the love of Christ? How can your words and actions show that person Jesus’ love for them?