“How Deep is Your Love?” (I John 3:16-24)

We’ve all heard the story before or a story similar to it.  A young boy is finally given the opportunity to go to the store and pick up some things that his mother needs.  Everything is going well until the boy leaves the store with a bag full of groceries to begin his way home . . . then suddenly he trips, drops the bag, and everything in the bag breaks and scatters.  Now the boy is heartbroken and crying because he has messed up his opportunity to help his mother. 

As he is standing crying, a group of people gather.  Of course they are all sympathetic about the boy’s situation . . . it’s a real shame, they remark.  They all felt so bad for the kid.  They just stand there saying trite words of condolence and patting the boy on his back.  Nothing stops the kid’s crying.  Everything was ruined and the kid had no money to replace it.

Finally a man walked up, bent down and began cleaning up the mess.  Then he looked at the people gathered and said, “If you care so much, how much are you willing to care to help this boy with his problem?”  Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to the boy.

The writer of our reading this morning states: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth.” 

Actions speak louder than words.  That is what the writer is telling us . . . actions speak louder than words.  Actions display one’s faith . . . not the words that are spoken, not the intentions . . . actions--the actual doing something--is what makes a witness of one’s faith.  The writer says it succinctly: “. . . because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.  And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.  Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.”

Not only does the writer tell us this, the writer also lets us know exactly how deep that love is to be . . . “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”  Our love for God is displayed through the actions we take in our daily lives towards those around us and those we encounter.  Jesus showed us the way.

Love is difficult to define.  One dictionary defines “love” as “unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.”  In other words, wanting the best for the object of “love”.  Think of all the ways we loosely use the word “love” . . . I love my wife . . . I love my children . . . I love my dog . . . I love warm showers . . . I love steak . . . I love my car.  How would you define love?  See what I mean?  It is not easy to define “love”.

The Greeks had the good sense to break love into five levels: “storge” was kinship, “philla” was friendship, “eros” was sexual and romantic love, “koinonia” was community, and lastly was “agape” or divine love.  This kind of helps in understanding what “love” means, but it is funny how something that seems so simple is actually quite complicated.  And, to add to the complication, everyone seems to have his or her own understanding of what “love” means to them . . . and, not surprisingly, not everyone understands it the same way.

So, I think we should be thankful for people like the writer of our reading this morning.  The writer puts it right out there . . . there is no argument of how the writer understands “love”.  It comes down to action.  Action displayed through the life of Jesus . . . even to the point of giving up his life.  That is “love”.  And, as the followers of Jesus, we have been called to this way of life and love: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth . . . because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.  And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us . . . This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

Such a statement begs the question: How deep is your love?


The love displayed by Jesus was a deep love . . . a divine love . . . agape.  In this love Jesus showed that all of God’s children--all people--we deserving and worthy of his action for the good of each.  The goal was to assist them in becoming who God had created them to be . . . and, welcoming them into the family of God.  This is not a foreign concept to those of us gathered here this morning.  Each Sunday morning we celebrate this “love” . . . this divine “love” . . . agape.

As we gather around the Lord’s table, we hear the invitation from the elders telling us that this table is open to anyone and everyone . . . that everyone has a place at the Lord’s table.  It is emphasized that no one is denied a place at the table because of who they are . . . their age, wealth, skin color, sex, intelligence, or even political party . . . all are welcomed to receive this act of love.  And, then in a like manner, we are reminded that through the meal we are called upon to do likewise in our daily lives.  Just as Jesus did and does.

We know this truth.

What we need is “love”.  This is no new revelation . . . no new prophecy. From the start of time, we have always needed “love” . . . that is God’s desire.  God shows us the way through Jesus.  If such a love as lived by Jesus was lived today, think of how different the world in which we live would be.  That has been the desire of God and humanity for a long, long time.

This will probably show my age, but in conclusion I want to share the lyrics of a 1966 song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, sung by Dionne Warwick, What the World Needs Now is Love:

What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It’s the only thing that there's just too little of,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone,
Lord we don't need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides,
Enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers,
Enough to cross, enough to last till the end of time,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It’s the only thing that there's just too little of,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone,
Lord, we don't need another meadow,
There are cornfields and wheat fields,
Enough to grow
There are sunbeams and moonbeams,
Enough to shine,
Oh listen Lord, if you want to know,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It’s the only thing that there's just too little of,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some,
Oh but just for every every everyone

When it comes to God . . . to Jesus . . . to others . . . how deep is your love?  As the writer tells us this morning: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth.  This is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence . . .”  Amen