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SCRIPTURE READINGS
JEREMIAH 1:4-10
1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13
LUKE 4:21-30

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is  ” TheLargeness of love.” Largeness means being big in size or quantity. Love is the care and intense emotion of affection, warmth, fondness, and regard towards a person. Love also means having the welfare of others at heart. The largeness of love is showing overwhelming care and affection for other people and their welfare. We shall reflect on the fact that

1. We experience the largeness of God’s love through our calling.
2. The church will experience the largeness of love when love becomes the foundation of our fellowship.
3. We may not experience the largeness of love when we speak the truth.

Firstly, we experience the largeness of God’s love through our callings. Jeremiah felt inadequate and unqualified to be used by the Lord. However, he experienced the largeness of God’s love that overlooks our human frailties and seeks to empower us to be used for His glory. When Jeremiah said, “I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” (Jeremiah 1:6), the Lord had already assured him, ““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations..” (Jeremiah 1:5) Again, the Lord reassured Jeremiah, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. “(Jeremiah 1:7-8). Friend, even in our weaknesses and inadequacies, we experience the largeness of God love. It is for this reason we must avail ourselves whenever we are called to serve. We continually experience the largeness of God’s love when we respond to His call.

Secondly, the love of Christ must be the large binding force and centre of our Christian fellowship. It is for this reason that Paul emphasised love over the demonstration of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 in the church and went on to write, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, and it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) In other words, in everything we do as believers, irrespective of our faith and spiritual gifts, we must find ultimate expression in love. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ What then is the ultimate will of God? In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Again, we can not separate love from matters of faith because the faith we profess now for which we have been spiritually endowed is founded on the love of God. It is for this reason Paul wrote, “3 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Again, we are reminded by John to live a life that correlates with our faith and love for God, “We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 John 4:19-21). Jesus further admonished us that for our faith to be complete we must love our neighbours lest God will reject our offerings,  “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

Thirdly, we may not always experience the largeness of love when we speak the truth. Jesus spoke the truth about the lack of faith of His Israelites for which their prophets including Himself were unable to perform miracles among them, “All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.” (Luke 4:28-30). Indeed we are encouraged to speak the truth in love yet some people will stop loving you or hate you for speaking the truth. We must, however not be discouraged from speaking the truth even when we are not loved by our audience. Our calling is to please God in everything we do even if it means losing friends, colleagues, and family members because we spoke and stood by the truth. Our Lord Jesus has assured us that, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

In summary, we have discovered that we experience the largeness of God’s love through our calling, the church will experience the largeness of love when love becomes the foundation of our fellowship, and last, but not least, we may not experience the largeness of love from some people when we speak the truth. May the Holy Spirit enable us to demonstrate and also experience the largeness of love in all our interactions and relationships. Amen.